FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, October 31, 2024
Contact: Yonah Zeitz, yonah@katalcenter.org | (347) 201-2769
Follow on Twitter @KatalCenter | #ShutRikers | #CutShutInvestNY
Today, 10/31: Katal Testifies at City Council Committee on Criminal Justice Hearing on the Rampant Sexual Abuse at Rikers
To Address Widespread Abuses at Rikers, Federal Courts Must Appoint an Independent Receiver
New York, NY: Today, the New York City Council Committee on Criminal Justice held a hearing on preventing and addressing sexual assault and harassment in NYC jails. In March of this year, news broke that 719 of the 1,256 civil lawsuits filed under the Adult Survivors Act were filed against the City of New York and the NYC Department of Corrections for sexual assaults by Rikers staff against incarcerated women. This was nearly 60% of all the claims filed in New York City’s Supreme Courts under the one-year look-back period.
Reporting in September indicates that the system for investigating rapes and sexual abuse of incarcerated people at Rikers is failing under the Adams administration as “more than 45% of the department’s investigations into sexual abuse and sexual harassment allegations last year dragged on beyond a local and federal mandate.” Under Adams, even the most basic aspects of operations at Rikers have further unraveled into disarray, and avenues of accountability have been systematically eroded. As a result, in the September hearing on Rikers, the federal courts moved closer than ever to appoint an independent receiver to take over the jail complex.
Statement from Yonah Zeitz, Director of Advocacy, Katal Center for Equity, Health, and Justice: “Rikers is an absolute disaster. Sexual abuse and assaults are widespread within our city’s jail system. Since Mayor Eric Adams took office, the overlapping crises and scandals on Rikers Island have worsened. His administration has stymied the process of investigating sexual abuse cases, and the number of substantiated cases has significantly dropped. The culture of impunity within the Department of Correction continues to hamper reform and harm incarcerated people. It’s abundantly clear that this administration and department are both unwilling and unable to address the deep-rooted issues plaguing the jail systems. Incarcerated people, including our members and their loved ones, are being harmed as a result. Until Rikers is closed, we call on the federal courts to immediately step in to appoint an independent receiver to improve conditions and save lives. We urge the City Council to support this necessary and drastic measure by passing Resolution 183, which calls for the appointment of a receiver. Without action, the abuse, violence, and mismanagement will continue unabated.”
Background: Katal leads the #ShutRikers campaign with our allies to cut down the jail population; shut down Rikers Island; and invest in real public safety: housing, health care, education, and jobs.
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