New York City was found guilty of contempt Wednesday over “serious” conditions at Rikers Island. The judge said Rikers Island is “prone” to ordering a federal takeover of the troubled prison complex.
A scathing 65-page contempt order by Manhattan federal judge Laura Taylor Swain accused the city of increased inmate deaths, a spike in “uses of force” by correctional officers and numerous other failures.
Swain wrote that the situation is getting worse and the city remains inadequate to fix it, raising the possibility of federal takeover, or receivership. .
“For these reasons, courts tend to impose receivership, a remedy that ultimately holds courts directly accountable for the use of force management and security aspects of Rikers Island Jail,” she wrote. .
Swain ordered the city and other stakeholders to come up with a plan for receivership.
About 6,600 inmates were being held at Rikers as of early November, a 4% increase from last year.
