NYC Council passes 2 bills aimed at preventing sexual abuse on Rikers Island

The New York City Council approved two bills to address sexual violence in city jails on Thursday, following Gothamist’s investigation into hundreds of allegations of sexual abuse on Rikers Island.

One measure requires the Department of Correction to use an electronic system to track allegations of sexual abuse against people in custody. Another mandates that officials report annually on sexual assaults and harassment of jail staff.

The measures aim to better protect staff and detainees from sexual violence and harassment in jail. Gothamist has reported on more than 700 lawsuits filed by women who say they were sexually abused while detained on Rikers Island over the last half century. The city is also facing hundreds of lawsuits alleging sexual abuse against children and teens in detention. City Council members have urged the mayor and corrections officials to address allegations of widespread sexual misconduct in city jails dating back decades.

The bill requiring a digital case management system comes after years of promises from the Department of Correction to improve the way it tracks allegations of sexual misconduct. Jail officials have been pledging since at least 2019 to implement new tracking software, which could help to flag patterns of sexual abuse or alleged perpetrators facing multiple complaints.

A spokesperson for the Department of Correction referred Gothamist to the department’s testimony at prior City Council hearings about the legislation. At a hearing in October, Commissioner Lynelle Maginley-Liddie said the correction department was already working to procure and implement an electronic system to manage misconduct investigations. She said the agency’s sexual abuse unit would be the first to use the system.

“ Once fully operational, this system will greatly improve the department's ability to document and track sexual abuse and harassment complaints, adhere to the deadlines associated with the cases, and report in compliance with oversight requirements,” she said.

But she also asked councilmembers to push back the date that the new law would become effective, so the department could have more time to set up the system and train staff on how to use it.

The other bill approved on Thursday requires the Department of Correction to submit annual reports on sexual harassment and assault against staff, which must include information about what happened and the outcome of the investigation. The measure also requires jail officials to provide mental health resources for people who work in city jails, including to address the effects of sexual assault and harassment.

Maginley-Liddie told council members at the hearing last fall that she was determined to improve safety conditions for staff.

“ The safety and well being of [Department of Correction] staff and anyone else who works in our jail is of paramount importance,” she said.

Mayor Eric Adams next needs to decide whether to sign the bills into law. He has vetoed several other criminal justice-related bills, including a ban on solitary confinement in city jails. But these bills aren’t facing the same resistance from jail officials as the solitary confinement ban. The mayor’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

This story has been updated to reflect the council's approval of both bills.