Editorial | The push for NYC jail reform should address a complex truth | amNewYork

"Legal Aid accused the ACS, in a letter to its commissioner, Jess Dannhauser, of creating a neglectful environment where nearly 100 juvenile detainees live in unassigned quarters, meaning they do not have designated rooms or cells where they sleep or can store their valuables. As a result, Legal Aid alleges, these youth are subjected to inadequate and unhealthy sleeping conditions, lack of access to bathrooms and property, increased risk of violence, and inconsistent access to programming and educational services."

"The accusations, which the ACS is investigating, are all too similar to the problems facing Rikers Island today, where living conditions have been neglected for decades leading to upticks in violence, suicide and death that have put both the inmates and the corrections staff sworn to protect them in equal peril. Many of those on Rikers and in the juvenile detention system have been convicted of crimes, some of which are heinous."

The Administration for Children’s Services oversees juvenile detention centers housing young people charged with or convicted of crimes. Legal Aid alleges neglect at two Bronx and Brooklyn facilities where nearly 100 detainees lack designated sleeping quarters and secure storage for belongings. Reported harms include unhealthy sleeping conditions, restricted access to bathrooms and property, heightened risk of violence, and inconsistent access to programming and education. The ACS is investigating the accusations. The conditions mirror long-standing neglect at Rikers Island, which produced increased violence, suicide, and death, and demonstrate that conviction does not justify abusive or inhumane treatment.

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