Rikers Island inmate assaults surge 76% as federal manager takes control
NYC jails issued 15,035 fight and assault infractions in the last fiscal year, up from 8,528 the year prior. In-custody arrests also rose 8% during the same period.
Rikers infractions nearly double amid federal takeover of NYC jail system
New York City's jail system handed out 15,035 fight and assault infractions during the fiscal year ending June 30 — a 76% increase from the 8,528 recorded in the prior 12-month period, according to NY Post Metro, citing the annual Mayor's Management Report.
The sharp rise in penalties coincides with a significant shift in oversight. Manhattan federal Judge Laura Taylor Swain removed operational control of city jails from the Department of Correction in January and handed it to Nicholas Deml, former head of the Vermont Department of Corrections, serving as an independent remediation manager. Swain cited the city's failure to comply with court-ordered remedies targeting what she characterized as decades of civil-rights violations at Rikers, including unsanitary conditions and excessive use of force by guards.
In-custody arrests rose 8% over the same period, climbing from 436 to 469. Inmates who receive infractions can be transferred out of general population into restrictive housing and may lose privileges including phone access. It remains unclear what share of the infractions involved altercations between detainees versus attacks on staff.
The Mayor's Management Report also noted that assaults on staff by detainees increased by nearly 5%, even as overall reported serious violent incidents and serious injuries to inmates showed improvement across city lockups.
The DOC did not link the enforcement uptick to the change in leadership or to being placed under federal oversight. In the report, the agency stated only that "the increase occurred during a period in which the department placed more emphasis on issuing infractions for misconduct and on pursuing appropriate jail-based arrests."
DOC spokesman Patrick Rocchio told the Post the agency "is committed to working with the federal remediation manager and federal monitor to improve conditions in our city's jails for staff and people in custody." He added: "We believe in holding accountable as appropriate people in custody who assault correctional staff or others in custody."
Benny Boscio, president of the Correction Officers' Benevolent Association, described the increased enforcement as "a step in the right direction" but argued it does not address the underlying drivers of violence.
"Combating the root of these violent incidents must also be prioritized, which begins with immediately replacing the hundreds of inoperable cell doors that enable violent inmates to pop out of their cells and attack our correction officers and other inmates with impunity," Boscio said. He added: "We live in a city where bridges, skyscrapers, tunnels, and major infrastructure projects are completed in less time than it takes to ensure all the cell doors at Rikers Island actually work. That is inexcusable!"
Source: NY Post Metro