City Council hangs onto hopes of a QueensLink

City Council hangs onto hopes of a QueensLink

Some members of the City Council are still hanging onto hope that the city will decide to resurrect an old train line that they believe would change South Queens locals’ lives for the better, rather than build a park along the elevated tracks.

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Former Rikers worker says DOC locks mentally ill detainees inside cells for weeks

Former Rikers worker says DOC locks mentally ill detainees inside cells for weeks

Detainees with mental health issues are sometimes locked inside cells for weeks or months at a time without access to their needed medication and left to deteriorate, a former social worker on Rikers Island told the jails’ watchdog board on Tuesday. 

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Council prepares take Adams admin to court over solitary ban

Council prepares take Adams admin to court over solitary ban

The fight over a law banning solitary confinement in the city’s jails continued on Thursday when the City Council opened the door to taking legal action against the Adams administration, which asked a judge last month to allow them to skirt the law’s implementation.

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Solitary confinement ban comes into view, but city challenge remains

Solitary confinement ban comes into view, but city challenge remains

Advocates, lawmakers and public defenders on Monday urged the city’s jail watchdog to ensure that the City Council’s ban on solitary confinement be fully implemented before the end of next month, despite ongoing efforts from the city and Department of Correction to delay the law’s enactment.

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Council overrides mayor’s vetoes of criminal justice bills

Council overrides mayor’s vetoes of criminal justice bills

The City Council on Tuesday voted to override the mayor’s veto of a bill aimed at increasing transparency in the NYPD and a bill to ban solitary confinement in the city’s jails, putting to an end a weeks-long public debate riddled with accusations from both councilmembers, Mayor Eric Adams and his allies that the other side purposely were spreading half-truths or outright lies.

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Federal monitor calls for ‘significant revisions’ to solitary ban

Federal monitor calls for ‘significant revisions’ to solitary ban

The federal monitor charged with keeping track of violent conditions on Rikers Island said that he and his team disapprove of the City Council’s ban on solitary confinement, which the legislative body passed with a veto-proof majority at the tail end of last year’s legislative session. 

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Council bans solitary confinement

Council bans solitary confinement

The New York City Council passed a bill on Wednesday that bans the use of solitary confinement in the city’s jails, setting up a potential battle with the mayor who has expressed staunch opposition to the legislation.

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Local public defenders wary of new Rikers dyslexia screening bill

Local public defenders wary of new Rikers dyslexia screening bill

A new bill that would require dyslexia screening of certain detainees in the city’s jails signed into law by Mayor Eric Adams last week is facing pushback from some local public defenders who are wary about the agency being given new responsibilities. 

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Advocates call on gov to sign Challenging Wrongful Convictions Act

Advocates call on gov to sign Challenging Wrongful Convictions Act

Monday was International Wrongful Conviction Day, and advocates and officials recognized the day of awareness at City Hall Park, continuing their call for Governor Kathy Hochul to sign the Challenging Wrongful Convictions Act into law.

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Migrant crisis widens political rifts in Queens and beyond

Migrant crisis widens political rifts in Queens and beyond

As the ongoing migrant crisis in New York City intensifies with no signs of slowing down, as has the rift between various sects of city electeds with different strategies for fighting it, splintering Mayor Eric Adams’ hopes of a united front. 


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