**PRESS RELEASE** | Katal Center for Equity, Heath, & Justice
May 14, 2025
Contact: Yonah Zeitz | 347-201-2768 | yonah@katalcenter.org
Follow online: #ShutRikers #CutShutInvestNY | @katalcenter | shutrikers.org
Community Groups, Elected Officials, and Directly Impacted People Hail Decision of Federal Courts to Take Control of Rikers to Address Violence and Dysfunction
With the Rising Jail Population and Nearly 40 Deaths Since Adams Took Office, Courts Must Work to Save Lives and Advance the Closure of Rikers Island
New York, NY—Yesterday, U.S. District Court Judge Laura Taylor Swain issued a decision to take Rikers Island out of the city’s control and appoint an independent “remediation manager” to address the constitutional violations. This follows years of the court holding the Adams administration in contempt of court for violating the rights of incarcerated people, removing avenues of transparency, and failing to address the dangerous conditions at Rikers. The “remediation manager” will have powers commensurate with a receiver and will report only to the judge. In rejecting the city’s proposal to appoint the current commissioner as a ‘compliance director’, the judge specified that the receiver must be completely independent from City Hall and the Department of Correction.
Since Mayor Eric Adams took office, the overlapping crises and scandals on Rikers Island have worsened. With violence out of control and the jail population steadily rising, dysfunction continues to reign at the New York City Department of Correction (DOC). In her ruling issued yesterday, Judge Swain wrote, “The use of force rate and other rates of violence, self-harm, and deaths in custody are demonstrably worse than when the Consent Judgement went into effect in 2015.” Nearly 40 people have died in city custody under Mayor Adams. Instead of working to address the crisis at Rikers, recently, news broke that the mayor is “exploring abandoning current plan to shut down Rikers Island.”
The fight to shut Rikers has been ongoing for decades. Starting more than two years ago, community groups and directly impacted New Yorkers started ratcheting up demands for the federal courts to intervene. Today, over 100 community groups and people directly impacted by Rikers have come together to demand that the federal courts appoint an independent receiver to improve conditions at Rikers until it is shut down.
Many of the city and state’s elected leaders have also been calling for a federal receiver at Rikers, including New York State Attorney General Letitia James, the city’s Comptroller Brad Lander and Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, over 20 City Council members, and more than two dozen state legislators. In February, under pressure from community groups, the City Council filed a letter to Judge Swain requesting that if a receiver is appointed, their goals must align with and further advance the legally mandated closure of Rikers.
Until Rikers is shut down, the “Remediation Manager” must work expeditiously to reduce violence, save lives, and advance closure efforts.
Statements from elected officials, impacted people, and community and advocacy groups:
Danielle Lynn Shanks-Efuntosin, Member of the Katal Center for Equity, Health, and Justice, said: “My son, who is currently incarcerated at Rikers Island and has had to endure many of the horrific conditions found there, is relieved by Judge Swain’s decision to appoint an independent remediation manager to take control of Rikers Island. My son is relieved that there will be change and accountability. Mayor Adams, since day one, has shown our community that he simply does not care about the safety of our incarcerated loved ones and has been working to keep Rikers open. It was about time that Judge Swain made this decision. I am grateful that with the support of the Katal Center and our willpower to never give up, we have been able to get this big victory for the community. We hope that the independent remediation manager will urgently address the crisis at Rikers and be accountable for shutting it down once and for all.”
New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, said: “Appointing an independent remediation manager is a serious indictment of the decades of mismanagement at Rikers. As the first citywide elected official to call for a federal receiver, Judge Swain made the necessary decision to appoint a manager who can turn around the deplorable conditions where a hundred people detained have died awaiting trial in the last decade. A remediation manager or federal receiver will not magically fix all of the jail complex’s problems, but the current system is too mired in its own mayhem to be fixed by any one Mayor or administration and must be reformed for the basic safety and security for incarcerated people and staff.”
New York City Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams, said: “The most clear truth on Rikers is that what we have been doing has not worked. The conditions at Rikers have grown more dire and deadly for years, on both sides of the bars. It is past time to do something different, and as I highlighted in my inspection last week, the mayor has steadfastly ignored laws meant to improve conditions there. Now, it will be out of his control and under outside management. This is a critical moment, but a cautious one. I look forward to the appointment of this official, and toward working with them to improve our city’s public safety and pursuit of justice.”
Assemblymember Emily Gallagher, said: “Rikers is a death trap, and it is not fit to house people. As the years wear on without its closure, this only becomes more true, not less. We must act as if the jail poses a life-threatening risk to all people who are housed there because we have ample evidence that it does. It is welcome news that the jail will finally be under receivership, but we know this is just a first step. The jail must be closed, as is required by law and moral decency.”
Assemblymember Harvey Epstein, said: “The numerous times I have visited Rikers confirms to me that we must close this jail. Rikers is full of people struggling with mental health emergencies and the pains of poverty- many of these folks need resources, not jail time. The conditions at Rikers continue to get worse, with countless deaths, missed trial dates, and missed medical appointments showing an inability to properly care for our incarcerated population. We must close Rikers and the independent receiver must work to swiftly reduce violence and improve conditions.”
Council Member Sandy Nurse, Chair of the New York City Council’s Committee on Criminal Justice, said: “We must put an end to the ongoing loss of life at Rikers Island. Judge Swain’s decision to appoint an independent Remediation Manager is a critical step toward accountability and reform. Under Mayor Adams’ leadership, we’ve witnessed continued violations of human rights, dignity, and safety for those in our city’s custody and the workers. I look forward to collaborating with the new appointee to advance the long-overdue closure of Rikers and move forward with the borough-based jail system.”
Council Member Alexa Avilés, said: “The inhumane conditions of Rikers Island have repeatedly threatened the health, safety, and well-being of staff, detainees, and thousands of New York City families. Since Mayor Adams took office, almost 40 people have died within our city’s jail. This should be considered nothing short of a human rights emergency. The decision to appoint an independent receiver is a crucial one, but it must lead to the imminent closure of Rikers Island to not only comply with the law but also in alignment with the unanimous decision of the Lippman Commission. The Adams administration needs to stop undermining the law, the commission’s mandate, and putting New Yorkers in harm’s way.”
Council Member Shekar Krishnan, said: “This historic decision was decades in the making and thanks to incarcerated individuals sounding the alarm bells about horrifying mistreatment on Rikers Island. Appointing a receiver for Rikers Island is just one step in the many that need to happen to end the brutal violence on Rikers Island and ensure the complex is closed as city law requires. Judge Laura Taylor Swain’s ruling is yet another clear sign that the Adams administration has been unwilling and unable to protect the constitutional rights of human beings who are enduring inhumane conditions while incarcerated there.”
Council Member Crystal Hudson, said: “Our City has a moral and legal obligation to close Rikers Island, and the Administration’s failure to address the ongoing humanitarian crisis at Rikers is made clear by Judge Swain’s recent decision to appoint an independent receiver to confront the facility’s abhorrent conditions. The Department of Correction has taken no meaningful steps to show it is capable or willing to manage the jail in a way that meets even the most basic standards of human rights. Mayor Adams has made it clear he no longer views the closure of this torturous facility as a priority—and as a result, 38 people have died in custody under his administration. The federal court’s decision marks the beginning of putting an end to these egregious human rights violations and, finally, closing Rikers Island.”
Council Member Shahana Hanif, said: “The Adams Administration has proven incapable of mitigating harm or complying with legal mandates to improve conditions at Rikers, resulting in the deaths of 38 people on Rikers Island since he took office. I applaud this urgently needed decision to remove Rikers Island from the Adams Administration’s authority and appoint a Remediation Manager. I look forward to the Remediation Manager acting swiftly to meet the legal mandate to close Rikers, for the safety and dignity of all New Yorkers.”
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About the campaign: #ShutRikers is a campaign of the Katal Center for Equity, Health, and Justice. Katal and our allies are working to cut the number of people incarcerated and the budgets used for caging people; shut down Rikers Island; and invest in real public safety: housing, health care, education, and jobs.
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