US attorney in Manhattan seeking federal takeover of city’s troubled Rikers Island jail complex

NEW YORK (AP) — A federal prosecutor says his office will seek to have control of New York City’s trouble-plagued Rikers Island jail complex taken away from Mayor Eric Adam’s administration in favor of a court-appointed outside authority.  U.S. Attorney Damian Williams of the Southern District of New York said Monday that Rikers “has been in crisis for years.” Adams has resisted the idea of a federal takeover of the system and has said his administration has been taking steps to stabilize Rikers, which was hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. A spokesperson for City Hall said the administration’s efforts had been bearing fruit in some areas and questioned what had changed.