Report On Rikers' Violent Incidents Will Be Private, Judge Orders

QUEENS – After a group of public defenders demanded the city to make public incidents of violence at Rikers Island, a judge ruled the information could remain private.

U.S. District Court Judge Laura Swain ordered the city’s Department of Corrections on Monday to submit a report next year disclosing the data related to violence in the jail complex and said it would remain confidential.

The report, which is scheduled to be completed by Feb. 13, will include the number of officers who are on sick leave and data on violent incidents against staff members and incarcerated people.
The order comes after the court-appointed monitor, Steve J. Martin, requested the document remain private to “avoid misinterpretation or the dissemination of incomplete or confusing information.”

Last week, Judge Swain ruled that Rikers Island would continue to operate under the city’s management instead of handing the facility over the facility to the federal government.

“We are disappointed that the Court would not allow Plaintiffs to present their case for the appointment of a receiver, but appreciate the Court’s demand of the City for swift and serious action,” Legal Aid Society, a public advocacy group representing detainees at the facility, said in a statement.