'Scathing' Ruling Means Rikers Could Soon Be in Federal Hands

A federal judge on Wednesday found New York City in contempt for failing to reel in the violence and excessive force at its jails, a "scathing ruling" in the AP's view that could see Rikers Island taken over by the feds in short order. What you need to know:

• The 65-page ruling: Judge Laura Taylor Swain found NYC and its Department of Correction violated the constitutional rights of both prisoners and staffers by exposing them to danger. She noted the city had failed to comply with 18 separate provisions of court orders related to security, staffing, supervision, use of force, and the safety of young detainees.
• What's next: Swain wrote she will likely assign an outside authority called a receiver and ordered the city and lawyers representing prisoners to come up with a plan for a federal receivership by Jan. 14.

• The practical impact: The New York Times reports Swain could, for instance, give the receiver power to revise or do away with labor contracts like the one that currently gives correction officers unlimited sick days. Critics say this has been a roadblock to improvement, as it's not uncommon for 30% of officers to not show up on a given day.
• How we got here: The Legal Aid Society and others initiated litigation more than a decade ago over what it saw as a pattern of excessive and unnecessary force. The Times reports a federal monitor has for nine years been tasked with issuing regular reports on the violence in the city's jails, and more than 50 reports later, things have worsened in Swain's eyes. A 2023 report said there had been no reduction in the violence and that officials were concealing information about it. It recommended the contempt move.

(More Rikers Island stories.)