On Friday September 16, 2016, the Center for New York City Law at New York Law School hosted the 136th CityLaw Breakfast. The event speaker was New York City Department of Correction Commissioner Joseph Ponte. The event was specially sponsored by Capalino+Company.
Department of Correction
The Nunez Federal Court Decree; Keep the Focus on Curing Violations
This issue of CityLaw contains an assessment of the 2015 Nunez consent decree aimed at curing excessive use of force at the City prisons. The City deserves credit for developing appropriate plans, rather than defending indefensible conditions in the jails. Yet the method adopted by the City – consenting to supervision by judges, outside experts and attorneys – harbors dangers: rigidity and loss of managerial flexibility that can interfere with achievement of the decree’s salutary … <Read More>
Prison Reform: The Monitor’s First Report in the Nunez Case
Recently the City got some good news about Rikers Island, a change from the bad news of recent years. On August 2, 2016, Mayor Bill de Blasio, together with Correction Commissioner Joseph Ponte, announced that for the first six months of 2016 the frequencies with which staff used serious force on inmates and inmates seriously assaulted staff dropped by nearly half over the past year. Overall uses of force and assault numbers were also down … <Read More>
Mixed-use project near Navy Yard approved
- Mixed-use development near Brooklyn Navy Yard. Image: Courtesy FXFOWLE Architects.
- Proposed Navy Green development along Vanderbilt Avenue between Flushing and Park Avenues. Image: Courtesy FXFOWLE Architects.
Located on former prison site, the complex will provide affordable and special needs housing. On September 30, 2009, the City Council approved the Department of Housing Preservation and Development’s proposal to facilitate the construction of a 455- unit complex, known as Navy Green, in Brooklyn’s Wallabout neighborhood. The 461,449 … <Read More>