The feds should take over the long-troubled Rikers Island jail complex from New York City, the Manhattan U.S. attorney said Monday.
Damian Williams said he would ask a judge to place the notorious facilities in federal receivership to address ongoing dangers to detainees and city correction officers.
His office said the decision came after a federal monitor’s report last week found the city Department of Correction has failed to make “substantial and demonstrable progress” in implementing reforms negotiated in a consent decree. Williams also plans to file for contempt.
“Rikers Island has been in crisis for years. This is a collective failure with deep roots, spanning multiple mayoral administrations and DOC commissioners,” Williams said in a statement.
“But after eight years of trying every tool in the toolkit, we cannot wait any longer for substantial progress to materialize. That is why my office will seek a court-appointed receiver to address the conditions on Rikers Island,” he added.
If a receiver is installed, it would have the power to take whatever steps necessary to enact reforms outlined in the consent decree.
The city Department of Correction did not immediately respond to a request for comment.