Statement from NYC Comptroller Lander on NYS Chief Administrative Judge Zayas’s Commitment to Reduce Case Delays for People Detained in City Jails

 

New York City Comptroller Brad Lander responded to the New York State Office of Court Administration’s (OCA) new initiative to speed up case-processing for Rikers Island pre-trial detainees with the following statement: 

NYS Chief Administrative Judge Joseph A. Zayas demonstrated the leadership and innovation that New York needs to reduce case delays in City jails by advancing reforms, in line with my office’s recent recommendations, to ensure that no one is left waiting three years in the inhumane and violent conditions of Rikers Island for their day in court.  

“From 2019-2023, case delays in New York’s courts increased by 179% for felony cases, which dramatically inflated New York City’s jail population. Today’s announcement by Judge Zayas and OCA to set firm but realistic deadlines for discovery compliance, to triage and expedite criminal cases, and to implement a citywide calendaring system will go a long way toward creating a more efficient and fair criminal court system. 

“These commitments by OCA have the potential to save the City a substantial amount of money; our report on ‘Ensuring Timely Trials’ found that aligning with national standards for case processing could save the City as much as $877 million annually. They will make sure that individuals are not forced to endure cruel and inhumane conditions like Kalief Browder, who spent three years at Rikers, much of it in solitary confinement, awaiting trial on charges that he stole a backpack. And by reducing the time people spend awaiting trial at Rikers, and therefore the number of people who are in jail each day, these reforms will make it much more possible for New York City to close Rikers Island.  

“Unfortunately, the Courts alone cannot reduce the City’s jail population to meet the legal obligation to close Rikers. While the City is making progress toward constructing the Borough Based Jails, City Hall has lost focus on the critical inter-agency work and leadership needed to close Rikers, as required by law. The Adams Administration is years behind in building the secure hospital beds at H+H facilities that will move people who need specialized medical care off Rikers. They are without any real plan or meaningful effort to provide effective mental health services to the 20% of detained people with severe mental illness. And they have failed to strengthen supervised release and alternatives to incarceration programs proven to prevent recidivism.  

“The Adams Administration’s failure to reduce the jail population is especially bleak against the backdrop of gross mismanagement at the Department of Correction (DOC). With persistent violence, dysfunction, and deaths in custody, Judge Laura T. Swain took the first serious steps toward putting management of Rikers Island into the hands of a federal receiver just days before scandal-plagued Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Phil Banks, who was supposedly responsible for supervising DOC, resigned.  

“Thank you to Chief Administrative Judge Zayas and OCA for committing to reforms that will advance justice, reduce needless detention, save New York City taxpayer dollars, and make it more possible to close Rikers Island. Now, New Yorkers need and deserve better management and leadership from City Hall to create a safer and more humane city.”