At The Legal Aid Society our Civil, Criminal Defense, Juvenile Rights, and Pro Bono practices work tirelessly in and out of the courtroom to defend our clients and dismantle the hidden, systemic barriers that can prevent them from thriving in New York City. We seek to be a beacon of hope for those who feel neglected —regardless of who they are, where they come from, or how they identify. Our experienced teams provide comprehensive services, support, and advocacy that protect rights, keep families and communitiess together, and in many cases, saves lives. We have an intrinsic connection to the daily lives of New Yorkers. Here are a few of the places we made a difference, provided context or added valuable perspective this week.

LAS: NYPD is illegally arresting and detaining New Yorkers

NYDN: NYPD holding people arrested for low-level crimes much longer than last year: Legal Aid
Gothamist: Lawyers demand probe into NYPD’s ‘unlawful’ detention of low-level offenders
AMNY: LAS calls for investigation into NYPD arrest practices after two people died in courthouse
NYDN: NYPD holding people arrested for low-level crimes much longer than last year: Legal Aid
El Diario: Denuncian al NYPD por aumento de arrestos donde deberían imponer citaciones a la corte

The ongoing human cost of the illegal DOCCS strike

News10: Legal Aid report shows illegal strike’s toll on prisoners
CBS6: Legal Aid Society report lays out damage to inmates from corrections strike
NY1: New report details impacts of upstate prison strike on incarcerated New Yorkers
NYDN: With post-strike decline in NY prison guards, state to review some inmates for early release
NY1: Staffing crisis in New York prisons leads to early releases for some incarcerated individuals
Prism: Uncertainty surrounds the suspension of New York’s solitary confinement reform

Five people have died in DOC custody this year so far this year

NYT: 5 People Have Already Died on Rikers This Year as Crisis Worsens
AMNY: Rikers Island sees yet another inmate death – the fifth in-custody fatality this year
NYDN: Rikers detainee dies from apparent medical episode, fifth NYC jail death in 6 weeks
El Diario: Otro recluso muere en la prisión de Rikers: 5to caso en 2025
Gothamist: Another death in custody at Rikers, officials said — jail on track to outpace last year
Patch: Another Man Dies In Custody At Rikers, Officials Say
El Diario: Otro preso muere en custodia en Nueva York: 6 casos en 5 semanas
CBS NY: 5 inmates have died at Rikers Island in past six weeks, officials say
NBC4: Man dies in custody at Rikers — becoming the fifth death in four months
Gothamist: After another death at Rikers, family says it’s struggling to get answers
El Diario: 5 presos han muerto en cárceles de Nueva York en apenas un mes
Queens Daily Eagle: Rikers deaths continue to mount

More LAS in the news

City Journal: Unfreezing New York’s Projects
NY Post: Progressive groups squeeze NY lawmakers over discovery law, involuntary commitments
Documented NY: How to Protect Your Data at the Border and Beyond
Crain’s: Squabble over evidence reforms, involuntary commitments stalls state budget
City Limits: Tenant & Landlord Groups Support a Proposed Housing Voucher. Why Hasn’t it Passed?
NYDN: Adams offers no answers as state spending plan may leave $1B hole in NYC budget
Documented NY: Major Crimes Are Down, But Other Crimes Have Surged
Gothamist: A Harlem activist appeared for a routine ICE check-in. Now, he faces deportation.
Prism: In NYC, the fight for rent stabilization continues