US sues NYC over teen treatment at Rikers Island jails

Federal prosecutors sued New York City on Thursday to speed the pace of reforms at the Rikers Island jail complex and address what a Justice Department investigation found was a "deep-seated culture of violence" toward young inmates.

The move comes a day after Mayor Bill de Blasio visited the 10-jail lockup to announce the end of solitary confinement for 16- and 17-year-old inmates — a policy change initiated after the release in August of a report from a more than two-year federal probe of Rikers.

The end of solitary for minors was just one of 73 recommendations made by federal prosecutors to curb violence, improve investigations, strengthen accountability and reduce the use of solitary confinement for inmates who break jail rules.

In court papers, Attorney General Eric Holder and Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara wrote that despite four months of negotiations with the city, federal prosecutors "have been unable to reach agreement as to lasting, verifiable and enforceable reforms." Neither side would discuss any disagreements that led to the breakdown in talks.

The lawsuit seeks a court-enforceable consent decree to ensure the reforms take place and notes that the city has now agreed to such intervention.

In a statement, mayoral spokeswoman Marti Adams said the city didn't oppose the federal intervention and reiterated de Blasio's commitment to reform.

"We are beginning to unwind the decades of neglect that have led to unacceptable levels of violence on Rikers Island," she said.

The court papers show federal prosecutors are hoping to join a federal class-action lawsuit that similarly claims widespread guard brutality in facilities that house adult inmates. They argued that combining the two actions "will facilitate much needed reforms at Rikers in the fastest and most efficient manner."

Bharara said at a news conference that negotiations with the city have gone well but that "we think things can go faster."

Only a handful of the country's thousands of jails, prisons and mental hospitals have problems serious enough to warrant the Justice Department's attention each year under the Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act, or CRIPA.

The statute empowers the department to carry out a civil investigation into broader systemic problems of inmate abuse, as opposed to a more narrow criminal investigation into misconduct by individual employees.

The Justice Department began investigating Rikers in 2012 when Michael Bloomberg was mayor. The department says the city has allowed guards to routinely batter inmates, sometimes even after inmates had been cuffed, deliberately dragging them out of view of security cameras. Its report also criticized the heavy use of solitary confinement and poor management oversight.

Former inmate Damien Norman, who says a Rikers guard broke his wrist in 2012 when he was 17, welcomed the Justice Department move.

"I think change is going to happen because it's becoming an issue now and kids are starting to speak up about what they went through," said Norman, who spent 11 months at Rikers awaiting trial on a robbery charge.

Bharara said he wants to enforce "legally permanent" change at Rikers. If other CRIPA investigations are any guide, New York may be at the start of a protracted process.

The Los Angeles County Jail has been struggling for 12 years to address the findings of a CRIPA investigation, according to the Justice Department.

In Chicago, Cook County Jail officials signed a consent decree with the Justice Department in 2010, and four court-appointed monitors have overseen the jail since then.

Wire services