New York City’s troubled jail system on Rikers Island will soon have a new leader, Lynelle Maginley-Liddie, according to two government sources. The appointment — which hasn’t been formally announced — comes more than a month after Department of Correction Commissioner Louis Molina announced his transition to a new role as an assistant deputy mayor […]
Reuven Blau
Reuven is a reporter for THE CITY, with a special focus on criminal justice and the city’s prison system.
Posted inPrisons
Library Video Conferencing Helps Loved Ones Book Visits in the Pen
When the pandemic hit, New York state prisons banned in-person visits in an attempt to limit the spread of the virus. The Department of Corrections and Community Supervision began to expand the use of video visits at state lock-ups as an alternative. Now, the Brooklyn Public Library has begun a program to make it even […]
Posted inDepartment of Correction
Oversight Board Questions ‘Emergency Orders’ at City Jails
Multiple members of the city’s jail oversight board this week urged Mayor Eric Adams to stop relying on emergency executive orders to circumvent rules to ensure the safe housing of people behind bars. In November 2021, then-mayor Bill de Blasio first signed executive orders suspending multiple Board of Correction regulations, citing chaos brought on by […]
Posted inEnvironment
New York’s Plastic Bag Ban Yields Warnings, Minor Fines for Those Flouting Law
When New York banned single-use plastic bags in 2020, environmental activists hailed the new law and vowed to push for more eco-friendly legislation. But more than three years later, they say a lack of robust enforcement has allowed scores of stores, including several major national chains, to continue handing out plastic bags to customers. “This […]
Posted inRikers Island
Hundreds of Women File Rape Lawsuits Against City Jails
Inette Baez has held the secret of what happened to her on Rikers Island for nearly 20 years. She was serving an eight month-jail sentence inside the Rose M. Singer Center in 2004 when, she says, a correction officer repeatedly lured her into a massive freezer and forced her to perform oral sex and raped […]
Posted inCity Government
Department of Ignored: Agencies Refuse to Heed Hundreds of DOI Recommendations
Every year, the city’s Department of Investigation issues bold and critical recommendations intended to help city government function more effectively and efficiently, as part of its agency probes. But increasingly, and especially under Mayor Eric Adams, the department is being downsized, the scale and scope of its investigative insights is diminishing and some of its […]
Posted inJails
Jails Commish Molina Transferred to City Hall as Rikers Receivership Looms
Just days before a federal judge begins to hear arguments in favor of appointing a third party to run the beleaguered city jail system, the head of the Department of Correction is leaving to take a position in City Hall. Commissioner Louis Molina will step down from his role in charge of Rikers Island and […]
Posted inHow to New York
How to File a Freedom of Information Law Request and Avoid Process Pitfalls
Want a copy of a parking ticket? Information about a long stalled city construction project? Or details about a city contract? FOIL, or Freedom of Information Law, is the answer — if you’ve got patience and persistence. FOIL requires city agencies and departments to hand over public documents. Journalists use the law to force city […]
Posted inJails
More than 15,000 Rikers Jail Video Visits Canceled Since 2020
The city Department of Correction has canceled 15,129 jail detainee video visits since its online system launched department-wide in 2020, straining relationships among loved ones, according to records obtained by THE CITY. The remote option for people to connect with those behind bars was launched during the pandemic, when in-person visits were blocked to prevent […]
Posted inDepartment of Correction
Federal Monitor Chides City Jails Brass for Increased Violence, Lies
As pressure mounts for the city to turn things around at Rikers Island, Department of Correction Commissioner Louis Molina and his staff tried to hide multiple assaults as jail conditions “have only worsened,” according to the latest report by a judge-appointed watchdog. “The jails remain dangerous and unsafe, characterized by a pervasive, imminent risk of […]