A Manhattan federal judge on Wednesday said she is “inclined” to appoint a federal receiver to oversee the use of force and safety on Rikers Island — moving the jail complex the closest it has ever been to federal control.
Photo by Ed Jones/AFP via Getty Images
### Violation of Court Orders
A US District Court Judge Laura Taylor Swain’s statement was part of a Nov. 27 ruling in which she found the city Department of Correction to be in violation of multiple court orders to get rampant violence on Rikers under control.
### Appointing a Federal Receiver
The judge ordered all parties in the case to devise a plan for receivership by a Jan. 14 deadline. “The court is inclined to impose a receivership: namely, a remedy that will make the management of the use of force and safety aspects of the Rikers Island jails ultimately answerable directly to the court,” Swain wrote.
### History of Violence and Neglect
In her decision, Swain sided with the Legal Aid Society in holding the city in contempt of the 2015 consent decree Nunez v. the City of New York, which ordered the city to make significant changes to curtail violence in the jail complex on Rikers Island. The Legal Aid Society, which represents detainees within the city’s jails, made the contempt motion late last year.
The judge also found the city Department of Correction to have violated three subsequent court orders over the past decade.
### Persistent Safety Concerns
Swain wrote that conditions the city was ordered to address, such as the use of force, stabbings, slashings, fights, assaults on staff, and deaths in custody, remain “extremely high.” “There has been no substantial reduction in the risk of harm currently facing those who live and work in the Rikers Island jails,” she wrote.
### Administration Response
Amaris Cockfield, a spokesperson for Mayor Eric Adams, did not directly address the contempt ruling in an emailed statement. Instead, she said the administration has made “significant progress” in addressing the “decades-long neglect and issues” on Rikers — especially under the leadership of DOC Commissioner Lynelle Maginley-Liddie.
### Implications of Receivership
The judge’s ruling brings the jail complex closest to federal control. Numerous reports issued by Steven Martin—the federal monitor in the case—over the past several years supported much of the judge’s ruling. Legal Aid commended Judge Swain for issuing a “historic ruling,” calling it a “pathway for reform” that holds the city’s leadership accountable.
### Conclusion
Judge Laura Taylor Swain’s ruling orders all parties in the case to devise a plan for receivership, which will ultimately make the management of the use of force and safety aspects of the Rikers Island jails answerable directly to the court.
### FAQs
Q: What is a receivership in the context of this ruling?
A: A receivership would involve appointing a third-party authority to oversee the management of the use of force and safety aspects of the Rikers Island jails.
Q: Why is the Legal Aid Society advocating for receivership?
A: The Legal Aid Society believes that a receivership is necessary to ensure that the city Department of Correction is held accountable for improving safety and reducing violence at Rikers Island.
Q: Will this ruling have a direct impact on daily life for those living and working in the jails?
A: Yes, a receivership could lead to changes in policies and practices within the jails, including improved safety protocols and oversight.
Q: What does the judge’s ruling say about the city’s leadership?
A: The judge’s ruling suggests that the city Department of Correction’s leadership has been unable to effectively address persistent safety concerns at Rikers Island.
