In a dramatic turn of events, a federal judge has wrested control of the infamous Rikers Island jail complex from New York City, citing an alarming surge in violence, systemic mismanagement, and a flagrant disregard for legal mandates.
On Tuesday, Chief U.S. District Judge Laura Taylor Swain issued a blistering 77-page ruling that officially removes the New York City Department of Correction (DOC) from its authority over Rikers Island. This unprecedented decision stems from a decade of failures to safeguard inmates from “grave and immediate” threats, including rampant violence, abuse, and a litany of management failures.
This landmark ruling, articulated in the case of Nunez v. City of New York, has resulted in the appointment of an independent “Nunez Remediation Manager” tasked with overseeing essential safety and use-of-force operations at Rikers.
The ruling follows Judge Swain’s earlier findings that the City was in civil contempt concerning 18 provisions of a Consent Judgment and numerous court orders dating back to 2015.
The DOC has repeatedly faced criticism for its inability to control excessive force, violent incidents, inadequate staff supervision, and its failure to protect incarcerated youth.
Despite nearly ten years of oversight from a federal monitor and over 700 expert recommendations, the court concluded that the City had made no significant headway in improving conditions.
“Nine years have elapsed since it was first recognized that the perilous conditions in Rikers Island jails were unconstitutional; that the level of unconstitutional danger remains unchanged for those living and working within the jails is both alarming and intolerable,” Swain noted in her ruling.
In a final attempt to avert a receivership, the City suggested enhancing the authority of current DOC Commissioner Lynelle Maginley-Liddie by designating her as a “Compliance Director.”
However, the judge deemed this proposal inadequate, highlighting that while Maginley-Liddie had shown initial promise, the City’s history of failure to reform rendered them unfit to manage the situation alone.
“While there is some indication that Commissioner Maginley-Liddie has initiated crucial progress toward enhancing safety in the jails, merely maintaining continuity is not compelling enough, given that the status quo led to the Court’s contempt findings on eighteen foundational provisions of the Nunez Court Orders,” Swain articulated.
Consequently, the court appointed an independent Remediation Manager—an action that, while stopping short of a complete federal takeover, effectively removes the City from authority over critical safety operations within the jail.
The court-designated official will report directly to Judge Swain and will be empowered to:
- Implement and modify DOC policies regarding use of force and safety.
- Hire, fire, or reassign staff to ensure compliance.
- Oversee disciplinary processes for officers accused of misconduct.
- Acquire security technology and bypass bureaucratic delays.
- Request court approval to circumvent city contracts or regulations that impede reform.
The newly appointed Remediation Manager will report directly to the Court, bypassing City Hall altogether.
The Nunez case began in 2012 amid horrific allegations of staff brutality and systemic neglect. Since then, New York City has paid tens of millions in damages to victims of violence within Rikers.
Reports from the Monitor and internal data reveal that conditions have deteriorated in recent years, marked by unprecedented rates of violence, self-harm, and in-custody deaths.
Despite numerous remedial orders and commitments to reform, the DOC has consistently failed to comply—prompting even the court Monitor to declare in 2023 that “cooperation had collapsed.”
Read the full ruling below:
