In a brief filed in federal court, several high-ranking former New York City officials explained why an independent receiver should be appointed to manage the City jails’ compliance with court orders in Nunez v. City of New York, The Legal Aid Society’s class action challenging violence at Rikers Island.

The New York City Bar Association and Vera Institute of Justice have also filed a brief in support of Legal Aid’s long-held position on the need for independent leadership of City jails.

Legal Aid and mery Celli Brinckerhoff Abady Ward & Maazel LLP filed Nunez in September of 2012. Following a settlement in that action, the court appointed a federal monitor to oversee mandated reforms. After nearly a decade of oversight by the court and the federal monitor, and successive court interventions and remedial orders, DOC continues its pattern and practice of unconstitutional use of force, and in November 2023, counsel filed a contempt motion and application for receivership.

The former officials include Stan Brezenoff, former first deputy mayor of the City of New York; Gladys Carrion, the former commissioner of city agencies Community Development and the Administration for Children’s Services and the state agency Office for Children and Family Services; Elizabeth Glazer, the former Mayor’s advisor on Rikers Island and former New York State Deputy Secretary for Public Safety with oversight of the state’s criminal justice agencies, including the state prison system and the State Commission on Corrections with oversight of the state’s jails, including the New York City jails; Michael Jacobson, the former Commissioner of the DOC, as well as a former top-ranking official in the Office of Management and Budget with oversight of the DOC budget; Martha King, former executive director of the Board of Correction, the oversight entity for DOC and former adviser to the first deputy mayor with responsibility for overseeing policy, budget and operations in DOC; and Sarena Townsend, former deputy commissioner for investigations and trials at DOC.