A seemingly endless rotation between state forensic hospitals and city jails has meant that some mentally ill detainees stay in the system for years without ever standing trial.
Members want their access to video from Rikers restored, filing their case the day before a critical hearing that could put the city’s jails on the path to a takeover by a federal court.
Under pressure to stem violence in New York City jails, the commissioner, Louis A. Molina, has angered federal officials by withholding information on sensitive investigations.
The comments from Judge Laura Taylor Swain came after the top federal prosecutor in Manhattan called for the jails to be taken over by an outside authority.