A U.S. judge on Wednesday signaled her intent to order a federal takeover of New York City’s Rikers Island jail complex, citing the city’s failure to address violent conditions that endanger inmates and staff. Chief U.S. District Judge Laura Taylor Swain in Manhattan issued a 65-page opinion finding the city and its Department of Correction in contempt of 18 provisions of court orders aimed at reducing excessive force and improving staff oversight.
“Those who live and work in the jails on Rikers Island face grave and immediate threats of danger, as well as actual harm, daily,” Swain wrote.
The case originated from a 2012 class action lawsuit filed on behalf of Rikers inmates, alleging unconstitutional conditions at the jail. After the Manhattan U.S. Attorney’s Office intervened, the city agreed in 2015 to federal monitoring of the jail. Despite these measures, Swain concluded that the city had failed to implement meaningful reforms.
She expressed her inclination to impose a receivership, appointing an individual directly accountable to her to oversee safety measures at Rikers. Swain set a Jan. 14 deadline for the city, the plaintiffs, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office to propose the structure of such an arrangement.
In response, the city claimed progress and pledged to continue collaborating with the federal monitor to improve safety. The Legal Aid Society and law firm Emery Celli, which initiated the class action, welcomed the ruling, calling it “a pathway for reform.”
Swain highlighted worsening conditions since 2015, noting increases in violence, self-harm, and deaths. She reported 6,784 use-of-force incidents at Rikers in 2023, compared to 4,652 in 2016. Additionally, 33 people have died in custody since 2022, according to the figures cited.
As of mid-2023, more than 6,000 individuals were detained on Rikers Island, based on data from the New York City Comptroller’s Office. Separately, in 2019, New York City passed legislation to close all jail facilities on Rikers Island and relocate detainees to newly constructed jails elsewhere in the city.
