NYC Mayor Eric Adams could soon lose control over the New York City jail system. On Thursday, Aug. 10, a federal judge said that they are considering a process to make this happen.
NYC Mayor Eric Adams' Control Over Jail System Could Be Removed
According to Fox News' latest report, a federal judge considers changing the NYC jail system by removing the mayor's control over it.
If the process becomes successful, a court-appointed outside authority will handle the jail management in Rikers Island, which contains NYC's largest jail.
The New York Post reported that the federal takeover was announced as violence in NYC jails worsen.
A series of reports from a court-appointed federal monitor warned that there's a disturbing level of regression within New York City's jail system.
"For far too long, report after report, the recommendations [of the monitor] have fallen to the ground," said Deputy Monitor Anna Friedberg in Manhattan federal court.
"What has lacked has been the implementation of those plans and basic supervision of this workforce," she added.
Because of this, U.S. District Judge Laura Taylor Swain allowed the feds to continue their legal process. This is expected to get a court-appointed receiver that will replace Mayor Eric Adams in managing NYC lockups.
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Mayor Adams Accused of Touting Policy Changes
Court-appointed monitor Steve J. Martin accused the administration of Mayor Eric Adams of touting minor policy changes to hide the real situations in NYC lockups.
On Tuesday, Aug. 8, over two dozen use-of-force incidents happened in NYC jails. Aside from these, Martin also confirmed that there were seven fires and two allegations of staff assaults during the same day.
U.S. District Atty. Jeffrey Powell said that federal prosecutors met with jail officials to discuss plans on how to reduce jail violence. However, the response of the authorities was underwhelming.
Since dysfunction in Rikers Island is getting worse, Taylor Swain allowed federal prosecutors and attorneys to start preparing arguments in support of a court-ordered receivership.
This is a critical step to appoint an outside authority who will handle NYC lockups.
The overall process is expected to last for months, with each of the parties scheduled to show their arguments between November 2023 and February 2024.
