Rikers Correctional Facility
The suspension comes as the NYC DOC has expanded the use of body scanners in the jails to check staff for possible contraband
Rikers Island, NYC jails plagued with bugs, mice, cleanliness violations, says federal court monitor
Overall, inspectors found just 73 of 200 living areas were clean enough to comply with court requirements
Of the 50 incidents studied, pepper spray was used 24 times against mentally ill detainees, even though policy first requires consultation with mental health staff, the report said
The detainee blamed in the crash, a homicide suspect, got into the bus’s driver seat after a CO left the bus unattended outside the courthouse, the DOC said
One detainee was severely burned and several others suffered smoke inhalation in the April 6 fire, which the report confirmed was sparked by a detainee angry over losing personal possessions during a search
“I’ve never seen another human being look at someone like that, he had this look in his eyes, like you’re not getting out of here if you have a pulse,’” CO Kristen Lonnborg said
The federal monitor said the need for fire suppression is “particularly acute for a unit attempting to re-house known fire-setters and thereby reduce arsons”
“Practices for reporting stabbings/slashings are so unregulated that the monitor no longer has confidence in the accuracy of the department’s data in this area,” the monitoring team said
The Vernon C. Bain Correctional Center, a five-story jail barge with 800 beds, opened as a temporary measure in 1982 to relieve crowding on Rikers Island
A report two years into Mayor Adams’ administration reveals surging incidents of stabbings, slashings amid pervasive, imminent risk of harm at NYC jails
The report states there was also no captain on duty as a result of a staffing issue that left the Vierno Center eight captains short on the day the inmate died
Several inmates and around a dozen correction officers were treated for smoke inhalation; one inmate was burned so severely he was transported to the ICU
“Stabbings and slashing will exceed 300 this year with 6,000 uses of force — much high than other jail systems,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Powell said
The mental health clinician was stabbed in the face and arm; he was taken to the hospital where he needed stiches
The inmate walked around the jail wearing the stolen correctional officer uniform and pretended to conduct rounds
Another report earlier this month condemned conditions at jail facilities, citing mold and vermin-infested areas among other issues
New York City should be held in contempt over conditions in Rikers Island jail, federal monitor says
The monitor concludes in its report there has been “no meaningful relief” for staff or people in custody from violence and unnecessary and excessive uses of force
The court hearing came after a federal monitor overseeing the jails system outlined a pattern of disturbing incidents — including detainee deaths and grave injuries
Court-appointed violence monitor Steve J. Martin and his staff said that the jails are on pace for 350 stabbings and slashings in 2023
Court records show the inmate’s assault cases include slashing a CO with a pen, trying to attack an officer with a shiv and beating an officer with metal restraints
The federal monitor that oversees the city’s compliance with the decree has expressed concern about the Emergency Services Unit’s propensity for violence
Eliminating the post-high school education requirement was approved in an effort to grow the department’s applicant pool to counter a staffing decline
“The pervasive issue of insufficient or inadequate rounding and supervision was present in five of the seven deaths,” the Board of Correction said
Months ago Krystle Burrell admitted that while she worked at Rikers Island she smuggled Terrae Hinds two cell phones, helped him sell drugs and accepted bribes
Dr. James Uhrig filed a claim with the city alleging the ban violated his free speech rights
The project to build hundreds of hospital beds for people held in city jails is a key part of the “Close Rikers” plan
City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams underscored that Rikers has to be closed by 2027 in her state-of-the-city speech
The posting places the completion date in 2029, two years past the mandated deadline for shuttering Rikers
Charlie Bracey saved an inmate’s life and a year later was disciplined for allegedly failing to respond to the attack
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