Rikers to see big reforms
MASSIVE CHANGES are on the horizon for the city’s biggest jail, the Daily News has learned.
Federal prosecutors and city officials reached a tentative agreement on reforms that would transform Rikers Island, including body-cameras for correction officers, rules limiting how much force guards can use, and the appointment of a federal monitor, sources told The News.
The sweeping changes are the result of settlement talks between city officials and federal prosecutors following a lawsuit against the city over its treatment of young inmates at Rikers.
“While details are still being worked through, we fully expect a successful conclusion to this process within a few days,” said Karen Hinton, a spokeswoman for Mayor de Blasio.
U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara last year joined a class-action lawsuit filed against the city by 11 inmates.
Bharara’s office issued a scathing report in August that found a pattern of excessive force and violence at Rikers.
The changes are still subject to mayoral approval and must be approved by Federal Judge Laura Taylor Swain.
Details are expected to be presented in federal court Monday.
Under the new rules, guards would have to wear body-cams when taking inmates in or out of their cells.
They would also be prohibited from hitting inmates in the head — raising the ire of union officials. “No matter what they write, the universal standard is and will always be, the force employed must be in proportion to the threat encountered,” said Sidney Schwartzbaum, president of the union which represents top jail bosses.
The New York Times, which first reported on the changes Thursday, said officers would also be required to fill out reports independently as to avoid any collusion.
Last week, Bharara announced charges against one current and two former correction guards for the 2012 beating death of inmate Ronald Spears
The feds are also investigating Norman Seabrook, who heads the Correction Officers’ Benevolent Association, for allegedly receiving kickbacks from firms that do business with the labor union.