Statements Of Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara and Head Of The Civil Rights Division Vanita Gupta On Court Approval Of The Settlement In Nunez V. City Of New York

Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara issued the following statement today in connection with the approval of the settlement agreement among the parties in Nunez v. City of New York:

 “Today, the Court approved the landmark Rikers Island agreement.  With the agreement now formally in place, the City can move quickly toward long overdue reforms at Rikers Island.  This agreement establishes a detailed and comprehensive framework to reduce violence in the jails and to keep inmates and correction officers safe.  For too long, a culture of violence has prevailed at Rikers Island, denying those within its walls the protections of the Constitution, rights to which all in this country, including prison inmates, are entitled.  Through this agreement, we will remain vigilant in ensuring that reform at Rikers Island is enduring and enforceable.”

Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Vanita Gupta, Head of the Civil Rights Division, issued the following statement today:

“The Rikers Island agreement approved by the Court today should serve as a model for the country.  DOJ's Civil Rights Division is committed to protecting youth from unconstitutional conditions of confinement, in both the juvenile and criminal justice systems, and this agreement furthers that commitment.  Given the history of operations and the culture of excessive use of force at Rikers Island that we found, the remedies in the agreement approved today in court are not only appropriate, but essential to ensuring we can provide key protections for the complicated, and often underserved, population of youth in the criminal justice system.”