Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
NYC correction officers union claims federal takeover at Rikers will lead to 'chaos'
By
Matt Katz
Published Apr 4, 2024
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
By
Matt Katz
Published Apr 4, 2024
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
The city correction officers union said a takeover of New York City jails by a federal appointee would worsen conditions at the facilities, according to court papers filed this week.
The Correction Officers' Benevolent Association is opposing efforts by U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Damian Williams and public defenders from the nonprofit Legal Aid Society to have a judge appoint an official, known as a federal receiver, to take control of the city’s jail system.
“Ordering a receiver to displace [Correction Commissioner Lynne Maginley-Liddie] will not lead to positive reform, it will lead to chaos,” attorneys for the union wrote in a legal filing.
The union said a federal receiver has never run a facility as large as the city‘s jails, which currently hold about 6,000 people.
“A federal receiver as envisioned by the plaintiffs will turn the clock back three or four years, and will not address or solve the issues facing all correctional institutions on both a state and federal level concerning staffing, recruitment and retention, and funding,” wrote the union’s attorneys.
“The voices of those women and men who work at the Rikers Island jail facilities have yet to be directly heard,” they added. “The perception that COBA, the longest-tenured stakeholder on Rikers Island, is an impediment to meaningful reform rather than a wealth of positive solutions, is a fallacy perpetuated” by the Legal Aid Society.
Correction officers have the “greatest institutional knowledge of all stakeholders on Rikers Island,” and therefore “should be included in the solution,” the attorneys argued.
Then, using an exclamation point that is unusual in court papers, the filing stated: “Such an allegation defies common sense, no one wants to live or work in a harmful and threatening environment!”
Mayor Eric Adams, who stands to lose power over one of the city’s largest functions if a receiver is appointed, also opposes the plaintiffs‘ motion. The next court hearing on the matter is scheduled for May.
Much of the impetus for a receiver stems from a federal monitor's conclusions that absenteeism and understaffing at the jails have contributed to skyrocketing violence over the years. That federal monitor was installed in 2016. Experts said that the union could lose certain work protections under a receivership, such as unlimited sick time for members, and could also face a staff restructuring that puts officers in undesirable posts.
In Cook County, Illinois, a federal receiver appointed to take over a juvenile detention center was empowered to make decisions that affected union members’ benefits, according to an analysis in criminal justice journal Vital City by Hernandez Stroud, an expert on receiverships.
Correction: The story has been corrected to show that COBA, in its legal filing, accused the Legal Aid Society alone of mischaracterizing it as an impediment to reform.
Rikers figures included in the Correction Officers' Benevolent Association federal court filing this week:
- Of the union's 5,700 active members, 85% are Black or Hispanic, and almost half are women.
- Nearly 30% of current detainees are awaiting trial on a homicide charge, compared to 14.1% in 2016.
- More than 62% of current detainees are held on the four most violent charges, compared to less than 44% in 2016.
- Most detainees — 53% — are now diagnosed with a mental illness.
- The number of unionized officers has decreased from 8,900 in 2020 to 5,700 this year.
Tagged
new york city
rikers
public safety
politcs
eric adams
Matt Katz
Matt Katz is a former WNYC & Gothamist reporter.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
NYC Council to consider earlier Legionella reporting after deadly outbreaks
A bill facing a hearing Monday would require cooling tower owners to notify city health officials when bacteria levels reach a much lower threshold.
By
Catalina Gonella
Published Oct 18, 2026 at 7:36 p.m. ET
Staten Island fire injures 2, but spares historic 'Godfather' church
Dozens of firefighters responded to the blaze, which started in a vacant warehouse. It was contained within three hours.
By
Giulia Heyward
News
Staten Island fire injures 2, but spares historic 'Godfather' church
Dozens of firefighters responded to the blaze, which started in a vacant warehouse. It was contained within three hours.
By
Giulia Heyward
Bail reform remains major issue in NY governor's race, 7 years after it became law
By
Gino Fanelli
NYPD identifies Bronx man, 26, killed in Midtown subway shooting
By
Ryan Kost
,
Elizabeth Kim
and
Phil Corso
Have you seen this Yorkie? NYPD looking for adorable pup dognapped from her Queens home
By
Ryan Kost
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .