New York, Nov. 29. New York City has reached an agreement to pay $300 million to be distributed among tens of thousands of people whose release from the Rikers Island compound has been delayed by hours or days, despite the posting of a bail guaranteeing their interim release .
The settlement was reached in federal court in Manhattan and the number of people affected is estimated to be 72,000 since 2014 but, as some inmates have faced this delay on more than one occasion, the total number of cases rises to 94,000, The New The York Times reports today.
He also points out, citing the legal document, that any affected person who claims their release has been delayed for three or more hours will receive $3,500. The settlement still needs to be approved by Judge John G. Koeltl, who is presiding over the case, brought by a group of lawyers including Debbie Greenberger.
“This settlement provides significant relief to the more than 70,000 people held in Rikers or other prisons,” Greenberger told the NYT, explaining that once the federal judge approves the settlement, they will turn to the media and social networks to disclose the agreement.
According to the newspaper, the deal highlights the types of delays and failures that have been endemic in city prisons.
The city’s Department of Corrections has indicated, through its spokesman Patrick Rocchio, that for decades this agency has operated with outdated systems and processes to manage its prisons in the 21st century, “and the resolution of this lawsuit ends that era.” .
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