Rikers’ ‘watershed moment’: New DOC commissioner on reform, safety, and the future of the city’s jails

Rikers’ ‘watershed moment’: New DOC commissioner on reform, safety, and the future of the city’s jails

Stanley Richards, the new DOC commissioner, sat down with the Eagle to discuss the critical moment the city, the DOC and its jails are in, as well as his philosophical approach to leading the department, how he’ll measure his performance, how he’ll address the growing number of deaths in the jails last year, and more.

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Federal judge appoints former Vermont DOC boss to take over Rikers Island

Federal judge appoints former Vermont DOC boss to take over Rikers Island

After more than a decade of failed reforms, mounting deaths, and repeated warnings from the courts, a federal judge on Tuesday took the extraordinary step of wresting control of New York City’s jail system from City Hall, appointing a former CIA agent and correctional expert to assume sweeping authority over Rikers Island and the Department of Correction.

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Mamdani renews long-standing Rikers emergency order, vows to reform jails

Mamdani renews long-standing Rikers emergency order, vows to reform jails

Mayor Zohran Mamdani late Monday renewed a long-running state of emergency on Rikers Island, signing an executive order he acknowledged would prolong a controversial legal workaround used by his predecessor for years to skirt rules dictating how the city should treat detainees.

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Federal judge blocks solitary confinement ban from taking effect on Rikers

Federal judge blocks solitary confinement ban from taking effect on Rikers

A federal judge last week said the city was barred from fully implementing a local law banning solitary confinement on Rikers Island, several days after a state judge said Mayor Eric Adams’ efforts to prevent the law from taking effect were illegal.

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Rikers will be taken over by an independent receiver, judge rules

Rikers will be taken over by an independent receiver, judge rules

A federal judge took the extraordinary step of stripping the city of its control over Rikers Island, ruling that City Hall could no longer be trusted to tamp down the violence that has plagued the dangerous jail complex for decades.

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Advocates call on courts to cut back on the number of New Yorkers they send to Rikers

Advocates call on courts to cut back on the number of New Yorkers they send to Rikers

As the population on Rikers Island continues to grow past 7,000 detainees – its highest point since 2019 – a collection of criminal justice groups are calling on judges and the court system to do more to keep New Yorkers out of the troubled jail complex.

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Jail expert says DOC boss should remain in charge of Rikers as judge weighs receivership

Jail expert says DOC boss should remain in charge of Rikers as judge weighs receivership

As a federal judge continues to consider taking Rikers Island out of the city’s control, a jail expert hired by the city says that current Department of Correction Commissioner Lynelle Maginley-Liddie should remain in charge of the violent jail complex.

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Queens pol says Adams mischaracterized chat about bringing ICE to Rikers

Queens pol says Adams mischaracterized chat about bringing ICE to Rikers

A Queens councilmember told the Eagle that the mayor mischaracterized their conversations about bringing ICE to Rikers Island, a move that has landed the mayor in court and brought on accusations that he traded access to the jail for the dismissal of his criminal case.

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