Reuven Blau, Author at THE CITY

Metal gates lock in detainees at the Otis Bantum Correctional Center on Rikers Island.

Under a Remediation Manager, Who Will Actually Control Rikers Island?

May 20, 2025, 5:00 a.m.May 19, 2025, 5:07 p.m.

Multiple former Department of Correction officials and government insiders told THE CITY that a federal judge’s decision to create the role sows confusion.

Gov. Kathy Hochul speaks at Nomad clothing retailer Noir et Blanc alongside district attorneys about her efforts to reform the state’s discovery law, April 16, 2025.

Prisons

Albany Push for Prison Reforms Left Out of State Budget

May 15, 2025, 5:00 a.m.May 15, 2025, 9:49 a.m.

The father of fatally beaten inmate Robert Brooks was among those pleading for more oversight and comion in the state prison system.

Manhattan DA candidates Alvin Bragg, left, and Patrick Timmins are seen in a diptych image.

Campaign 2025

Who’s Running for District Attorney in NYC in 2025

May 14, 2025, 5:00 a.m.May 15, 2025, 4:21 p.m.

Candidates in Manhattan and Brooklyn will be on the ballot.

Mayor Eric Adams talks with people in custody on Rikers Island on Thursday, July 7, 2022.

Jails

Federal Judge Orders Appointment of Rikers Island ‘Remediation Manager’

May 13, 2025, 12:44 p.m.May 14, 2025, 10:16 a.m.

Fourteen years after the filing of a landmark class-action lawsuit over brutality in city jails, a judge has ruled that a third-party should manage the Department of Correction.

Prisons

Few Have Left Prison Under Hochul Early-Release Push

April 29, 2025, 5:00 a.m.April 30, 2025, 9:00 a.m.

Just 151 people have left state incarceration out of hundreds potentially eligible as state grapples with a shortage of correction officers. Housing restrictions are a big reason why.

Rikers Island

Advocates Call on City to Protect Transgender People Behind Bars in the Trump Era

April 25, 2025, 5:00 a.m.April 28, 2025, 1:01 p.m.

As the White House and Department of Justice attack funding for trans issues and their very rights, local leaders want state and city lock ups to act proactively.

Criminal Justice

Framework in Place to Roll Back Some of New York’s Discovery Reform Law

April 15, 2025, 8:17 p.m.April 15, 2025, 8:17 p.m.

That could give judges new discretion to determine the importance of missing evidence before deciding whether to dismiss a case.

The Horizon Juvenile Center in the Mott Haven.

Juvenile Justice

City’s Youth Lockups Are Failing Vulnerable Detainees, State Audit Finds

April 10, 2025, 5:28 p.m.April 10, 2025, 5:28 p.m.

The report from state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli blames the istration for Children’s Services for a raft of issues concerning operations and oversight.

Mayor Eric Adams highlighted his religious faith during his weekly City Hall press conference.

Immigration

Adams istration Inks Executive Order Allowing ICE Back on Rikers Island

April 9, 2025, 12:10 a.m.April 9, 2025, 10:01 a.m.

After the Trump istration demanded the mayor’s cooperation on immigration enforcement, a deputy authorizes federal officials to resume operations at the city’s jail complex.

Lawyers for former prisoner Matthew Raymond filed a lawsuit after he says he was waterboarded by a guard at Auburn Correctional Facility.

Courts

Nearly Decade After Brutal Beating by Prison Guards, Man Gets $1.2 Million Settlement

April 7, 2025, 4:55 a.m.April 6, 2025, 11:32 a.m.

“I know what it's like to be on a f-ing table, chained up, immobilized and to be beaten nonstop,” Matthew Raymond told THE CITY. “It’s not OK. It ruined my life.”

Reuven Blau

Under a Remediation Manager, Who Will Actually Control Rikers Island?

Albany Push for Prison Reforms Left Out of State Budget

Who’s Running for District Attorney in NYC in 2025

Federal Judge Orders Appointment of Rikers Island ‘Remediation Manager’

Few Have Left Prison Under Hochul Early-Release Push

Advocates Call on City to Protect Transgender People Behind Bars in the Trump Era

Framework in Place to Roll Back Some of New York’s Discovery Reform Law

City’s Youth Lockups Are Failing Vulnerable Detainees, State Audit Finds

Adams istration Inks Executive Order Allowing ICE Back on Rikers Island

Nearly Decade After Brutal Beating by Prison Guards, Man Gets $1.2 Million Settlement

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