- Record levels of inmate-on-inmate violence
- Officer absenteeism leading to widespread chaos
- Dozens of in-custody deaths, many preventable
- Surges in self-harm and mental health breakdowns among detainees
In one particularly damning Monitor report from 2023, the situation was described as “a humanitarian crisis unfolding in real-time.”
“Nine years have passed since the parties first agreed that the perilous conditions in the Rikers Island jails were unconstitutional,” Swain wrote. “That the level of unconstitutional danger has not improved… is both alarming and unacceptable.”
The court has already found the City in civil contempt for violating 18 distinct provisions of the Consent Judgment.
As the federal court signaled it was preparing for stronger intervention, the City proposed a compromise to prevent a full receivership. The plan would have granted current DOC Commissioner Lynelle Maginley-Liddie expanded authority as a “Compliance Director.”
While Swain acknowledged Maginley-Liddie had shown “early promise,” she rejected the proposal as inadequate.
“Continuity alone is not compelling,” she wrote, adding that the Commissioner’s leadership, however well-intentioned, was not enough to overcome a pattern of systemic failure that had persisted through multiple mayoral administrations.
The judge instead opted for a far more drastic solution: the appointment of an independent Remediation Manager. This official will wield sweeping authority, including:
