This Notorious NYC Jail Complex To Be Put Under Federal Receivership, Court Rules

NEW YORK CITY — A federal judge ruled Tuesday that Rikers Island is getting an independent, court-appointed manager to improve conditions and protect the constitutional rights of people at the notorious jail complex.

According to the ruling by Judge Laura Taylor Swain, the new receivership will be led by a "skilled outside professional" who will work with New York City's Department of Correction but will report to the court.

"The Remediation Manager and the Commissioner will, together, address the ongoing violations of the constitutional rights of people in custody in the City’s jails," Swain wrote in the Tuesday ruling.

"This decision confirms what we have long argued: transformative change in the City’s jails can only occur under the leadership of an independent authority, unbound by the bureaucratic and political forces that have stifled progress for decades," Mary Lynne Werlwas, director of the Prisoners’ Rights Project at the Legal Aid Society, and Debra Greenberger, partner at Emery Celli Brinckerhoff Abady Ward & Maazel LLP, said in a joint statement once the receivership was announced.

The two served as counsel for plaintiffs in the case.

"The receiver will have the authority to implement long-overdue reforms, cut through the Department of Correction’s entrenched mismanagement, and finally bring relief to those who continue to endure daily, inhumane treatment."

The ruling stems from a class action lawsuit first filed in 2012 by people who, while in custody at Rikers Island, sustained injuries from excessive force, according to court documents.

See the whole ruling here.

This is a developing story and may be updated with additional information. For questions and tips, email Miranda.Levingston@Patch.com.