Family of man who died after Rikers Island detention sues city for $100 million

Family of man who died after Rikers Island detention sues city for $100 million

The family of a 31-year-old man whose death in Department of Correction custody remains disputed over a year after it happened recently filed a $100 million wrongful death lawsuit against the city.

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‘Dysfunction remains the reality’: Legal Aid makes final arguments for federal takeover of Rikers

‘Dysfunction remains the reality’: Legal Aid makes final arguments for federal takeover of Rikers

Despite the city’s instance that if given more time it can turn around its troubled jail complex on Rikers Island, the Legal Aid Society said in a Thursday court filing that enough was enough, and reiterated its call for a federal judge to strip control of the jail from the city and hand it over to a court-appointed authority.

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‘A little perplexed’: Questions raised over city’s $4 billion contract for construction of Queens jail

‘A little perplexed’: Questions raised over city’s $4 billion contract for construction of Queens jail

Advocates and a lawmaker on Thursday spoke out against the city’s proposed $4 billion contract for the building of Queens’ borough-based jail, which may be completed four years after the city’s legally-mandated deadline to close Rikers Island.

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City claims Rikers receivership isn’t needed with new commissioner at helm

City claims Rikers receivership isn’t needed with new commissioner at helm

Attorneys for the city on Tuesday told a federal judge that Rikers Island should remain in the hands of the city as a new, reform-minded commissioner takes a stab at curbing violent conditions at the notorious jail complex.

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Mayor claims borough-based jails can’t be built by Rikers’ closure deadline

Mayor claims borough-based jails can’t be built by Rikers’ closure deadline

Repeating what top members of his administration have begun to suggest in recent weeks, Mayor Eric Adams said on Tuesday that his administration has little to no shot of building four borough-based jails by the time Rikers Island is legally-mandated to shutter as a jail complex in 2027.

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Nonprofits given ax by DOC last year return to work on Rikers for free

Nonprofits given ax by DOC last year return to work on Rikers for free

A little more than half a year after the Department of Correction cut a contract with several nonprofit service providers, two of those organizations have been asked to again provide programming to detainees on Rikers Island – and to do it for free.

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Detainee programming on Rikers declined after DOC cut ties with nonprofit providers

Detainee programming on Rikers declined after DOC cut ties with nonprofit providers

The city’s Department of Correction has significantly struggled to provide re-entry services, educational programs, life skills training and other programs to detainees after cutting ties last year with around a half dozen nonprofit service providers as a cost savings measure.

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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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