This Thursday the Adams Administration and the Commissioner of Corrections of the City of New York (DOC), Louis Molinathey will have to face a litmus test before the courts, where it will be decided if the jail of Rikers Island it will continue to be managed by the City or if an independent judicial administrator is appointed to assume the reins of the prison given the alleged inability of the prison authorities to resolve the crisis in the nickname “island of terror”.
Federal Judge Laura Taylor Swainwill decide if it endorses the “good work” that municipal officials say they have been carrying out in the prison in the last 20 months, reducing the number of deaths, attacks, and human rights violations, or if you find valid the complaints of prisoner defense organizations and the Federal Monitor, Steve Martinwho insist that things in the prison are going very badly and the more than 6,000 interns who are there every month on average, are at risk of imminent harm.
And it is that despite the fact that during the time that the Mayor Eric Adams took over Rikers, there they have 26 prisoners lost their livesmostly in their first year in office, the penal authorities insist that things are on the right track, compared to the chaos that reigned in the prison in the last administration, and they hope to receive a vote of confidence that allows them to continue with their work to continue presenting improvements.
Among his achievements, the criminal authorities of the Big Apple will point out in court the reduction of stabbings by more than 30%, the decrease in absences from the guard, attendance at medical appointments by inmates of between 90% and 95%, with more than 500,000 appointments in the last year, more than 5,000 confiscated contraband weapons, a better environment for the inmates to live together, and their opposition to denying the work they have done, as stated by the DOC Commissioner.
“We have proven that our staff have the ability to perform at a very high level, evolve and can also be successful,” he said. Commissioner Molinain dialogue with El Diario NY, defending that Rikers Island is not to be turned over to a Receiver. “I understand that this is a very complex problem, if it were easy we wouldn’t be here still trying to solve it, but no Administration has been more action oriented than Mayor Eric Adams. Things take time and I don’t think a federal administrator can get things done as fast as we can. We’ve done it, and I think we’ve already shown it.”
Voices of support for the work of the criminal authorities have also been heard from the New York City Council, who through the so-called common sense caucusesthey issued a letter in which they assured that taking control of the prison from the Municipal Administration and passing it on to an independent federal court figure would be “a disaster for the city.”
“Recent changes implemented by the City Administration guarantee that Mayor Eric Adams and Commissioner Louis Molina have more time to continue their commendable efforts,” they said, after a tour of the prison. “Our visit to Rikers Island has left us optimistic about the ongoing efforts to reform the system. The changes implemented under Mayor Adams and Commissioner Molina are substantial, and we must give them time to continue their progress. Placing Rikers Island under federal administrator would have a huge cost to taxpayers and could disrupt the positive momentum it is currently building.”
But from other sectorsincluding organizations that defend inmates, family members, former inmates, and community groups, insist on asking Judge Laura Taylor Swain to recognize that the current management has failed and that Rikers continues to be a violent place where life is not even guaranteed for those in Department of Corrections custody.
As a preamble to the court hearing, the Board of Corrections even filed a lawsuit in a Bronx court for the alleged lack of transparency of criminal authorities and asked to restore their access to Rikers surveillance videos to guarantee protection. of the rights of incarcerated persons.
“We have been forced to give the unprecedented step of initiating litigation against the City to ensure that we and our staff have access to the tools we need to do our jobs,” said Rachael Bedard, a board member, whose members have overwhelmingly supported taking control of the jail by an independent authority.
“Access to video, including access to a live feed, is one of the most crucial means by which the Board can effectively monitor the City’s jails; ensure DOC’s compliance with the minimum standards established by the Board; and conduct independent and confidential investigations into incidents of violence, use of force, responses to medical emergencies, and inappropriate and potentially criminal conduct by DOC personnel,” one of the parts of the lawsuit states.
Commissioner Molina assures that the atmosphere in Rikers now is very different from that of 2021.
Organizations and activists have announced a demonstration for this Thursday outside the courthouse in Manhattan, where the hearing will take place.
