New York City will pay up to $300 million to settle a lawsuit brought by hundreds of incarcerated people whose bail was delayed for hours or days.
According to a Manhattan Federal District Court document, the city will pay $3,500 to any inmate who believes their release has been delayed for three hours or more.
One of the case’s attorneys, Debbie Greenberger, claimed 72,000 such people had been identified since 2014. She estimated that 94,000 inmates are entitled to compensation since some were delayed multiple times.
John G. Koeltl Must Approve the Accord
Ms. Greenberger remarked, “This settlement gives real relief to the more than 70,000 prisoners incarcerated at Rikers or other prisons.”
“To disseminate the message widely,” she added, local television and radio, social media, bus and subway advertising, and other means would be used if the transaction is authorised.
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The contract shows how the city’s prisons have been plagued for years by problems like instability, violence, and a lot of people not showing up to work.
Spokesman Patrick Rocchio said the Department of Correction will enhance operations and efficiency.
Outmoded Methods and Procedures
“The department has functioned on outmoded methods and procedures to govern our prisons in the 21st century,” he said.
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The city would spend up to $2.1 million on advertising, warning former inmates, and processing claims, according to the settlement.