Judge Should Consider Punishing NYC Officials Over Rikers, Monitor Says
A federal monitor overseeing New York City’s violent and dangerous jails asked a judge on Monday to consider holding the Department of Correction and its commissioner in contempt for disobeying court orders, opening the possibility that officials could be punished for failing to improve conditions.
The monitor, Steve J. Martin, wrote in a report filed in Manhattan federal court that the “pace of reform has stagnated,” and that there has “been a disturbing level of regression” in several areas, including investigations into staff misconduct after episodes of excessive force.
Conditions on Rikers Island have only worsened since the Correction Department developed an improvement plan a year ago, Mr. Martin wrote. Doors are still not properly secured, correction officers continue to abandon posts and detainees often gather in high-security areas, he said. During routine searches, officers miss weapons, which have later been used in violent episodes, Mr. Martin said.
Four people have died at Rikers this year. Last year, 19 people died in city jails or at hospitals soon after release — the deadliest year in nearly a decade.
Source: The New York Times
