Families, attorneys and lawmakers slam ‘cruel’ Rikers visiting process

Families, attorneys and lawmakers slam ‘cruel’ Rikers visiting process

Attorneys and families of people incarcerated on Rikers Island blasted the Department of Correction on Wednesday for what they described as a cruel, degrading and potentially unconstitutional process for visiting people locked in the dangerous jail complex.

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Rikers officer accused by multiple women of sex abuse fired after conviction

Rikers officer accused by multiple women of sex abuse fired after conviction

A Rikers Island correctional officer will be fired after being found guilty this week of sexually abusing a woman in his Queens home – a decision that comes years after he was first accused by multiple detained women of sexually abusing them while on the job.

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With 2027 out of reach, Council passes bills to move Rikers’ closure along

With 2027 out of reach, Council passes bills to move Rikers’ closure along

With the city lagging years behind its legally-mandated 2027 deadline to shutter Rikers Island, the City Council on Wednesday passed a suite of bills that they say will at least help get the effort to close the notorious jail complex back on track.

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City violates detainees’ right to counsel, attys claim

City violates detainees’ right to counsel, attys claim

Public defense attorneys alleged on Tuesday that the Department of Correction consistently violates the rights of detainees by making it difficult for them to meet with their lawyers while being held on Rikers Island.

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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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Deadline extended for former detainees to get their piece of $92.5 million Rikers settlement

Deadline extended for former detainees to get their piece of $92.5 million Rikers settlement

Immigrants living in New York who were unlawfully held on Rikers Island because federal immigration agents asked the city to do so have another three months to claim their share of a $92.5 million class action lawsuit settlement.

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