Rikers Island Watchdog Watchers Regain 24/7 Jail Video Access

QUEENS — Rikers Island watchdog jail watchers will once again be 24/7.

Unfettered jail video access will be restored to the New York City Board of Correction under an agreement reached last week.

"This agreement confirms the Board's authority as DOC’s independent oversight agency and reinstates a crucial oversight tool," a statement from the board reads.

Advocates have assailed jail officials under Mayor Eric Adams for rolling back transparency on a host of issues, such as providing public notices of when inmates die behind bars.

Jail officials' decision in January to terminate the correction board's real-time access to behind-bars video footage cut off those watchdogs' ability to do their jobs, advocates with The Legal Aid Society argued.

"We are glad that the BOC has regained access to real-time footage from inside the jails, which is a crucial tool in its ability to monitor and investigate conditions on Rikers Island at a time when we know our incarcerated clients are suffering," they said in a statement.

The agreement is up for an Oct. 17 vote by the Board of Correction.