Federal judge to reconsider takeover of New York City’s notorious Rikers Island jail

By JAKE OFFENHARTZ

NEW YORK (AP) — A federal judge will once again consider a court takeover of New York City’s troubled jail system. The move follows reporting by a federal monitor that found the leadership of Rikers Island has repeatedly sought to suppress information about detainee deaths and injuries. A federal judge said Tuesday that the findings left her “shaken,” and ordered lawyers to start discussing a potential structure of a receivership. If approved, the receivership would end New York City’s control over the nation’s second largest jail system. The judge also ordered the city to notify the monitor immediately anytime someone dies or suffers a serious injury in custody, rebuking jail officials for flouting reporting requirements put in place following a 2015 federal consent decree.