NEW YORK (AP) — In the wake of a scathing federal review of New York City jails, city lawmakers say they’ll be asking about conditions for 16- and 17-year-old inmates at an oversight hearing Wednesday.
City Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley says the hearing will center on recommendations spelled out in the Justice Department’s recent report on Rikers Island.
The department found that young inmates’ constitutional rights were routinely violated, facilities were excessively violent and guards too often used excessive force.
Correction Commissioner Joseph Ponte (PAHNT) has vowed to make changes to the nation’s second-largest jail system. He says he’ll end solitary confinement for adolescents by Dec. 31.
Lawmakers plan to hear from a member of the independent board overseeing the jails; a Legal Aid Society attorney; and the head of the correction officers’ union.
