COVID at ‘crisis level’ on Rikers, NYC’s Dept. of Corrections…

COVID at ‘crisis level’ on Rikers, NYC’s Dept. of Corrections outgoing chief warns

In the News

Bail & Pre-Trial Incarceration

December 21, 2021

In a letter Tuesday to public defenders obtained by the Daily News, outgoing commissioner Vincent Schiraldi said the COVID infection rate among inmates nearly doubled overnight.

...

In recent months, Rikers has been plagued by high absenteeism among corrections officers.

“It is pretty disturbing,” said Lisa Schreibersdorf, executive director of Brooklyn Defenders Services. “It sounds like a plea for help.”

But she puts part of the blame on high bails.

According to Schreibersdorf, district attorneys and judges are “saying they are doing all they can, but the DAs are still asking for high bails on cases where they don’t need to and judges are setting higher bails where people can’t get out.”

“I hope they heed this undeniable warning,” she said.

View the full Daily News article, here.

Latest News

Parents, Public Defenders, and Advocates Hail Passage of the Anti-Harassment in Reporting Act; Urge Governor to Sign Into Law
Today, the New York State Assembly passed the Anti-Harassment in Reporting Act, which would reduce false and malicious reports of abuse and neglect made by anonymous callers to New York’s State Central Register of Child Abuse and Maltreatment (SCR). The New York State Senate passed the legislation on June 9th.
Press Releases
Early Defense for Parents Facing ACS Investigations
June 16, 2025
Brooklyn Defenders Hails Passage of the Promoting Pre-Trial (PromPT) Stability Act in New York State Assembly; Urges Senate to Bring to a Vote
The PromPT Stability Act codifies the recent Crawford ruling, which guaranteed people accused of crimes the right for a court hearing to consider the appropriateness of a protective order. The bill allows judges to evaluate the specifics of a particular case or relationship with more evidence than is available at an initial court appearance, before extending a TOP. The bill clarifies the structure of the hearings, ensuring that courts uniformly follow proper procedure statewide.
Press Releases
Early Defense for Parents Facing ACS Investigations
June 12, 2025
A Spotlight on Brooklyn Defenders’ Seizure & Surveillance Defense Project
NYPD property seizure practices don’t just take New Yorkers’ belongings, they fuel surveillance, punishment, and racial injustice. In this Q&A, Talia Kamran, Staff Attorney & Fellow, breaks down how these practices disproportionately target Black and Brown New Yorkers and how our Seizure and Surveillance Defense Project is fighting back.
Reports
Surveillance and Civil Rights
May 29, 2025
The Markup: The NYC Algorithm Deciding Which Families Are Under Watch for Child Abuse
Reporting in The Markup reveals that New York City’s Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) has been using an algorithm to flag families for heightened scrutiny, without informing parents, attorneys, or even caseworkers. The tool, which weighs factors like neighborhood, mental health history, and number of children, raises serious concerns about racial and socioeconomic bias. Nila Natarajan, Associate Director of Policy & Family Defense, confirmed that this system has never been disclosed in discovery, stating: “We get discovery in individual investigations and prosecutions when we represent parents, and nothing in the discovery we get suggests or implies, and certainly doesn’t lay out, use of any of these tools.”
In The News
Early Defense for Parents Facing ACS Investigations
May 20, 2025
Queens Eagle: Lawmakers call for the end of ‘predatory’ court fees
Brooklyn Defender Services, alongside lawmakers and other advocates, rallied in Albany to demand passage of the End Predatory Court Fees Act, which would eliminate mandatory surcharges, fees, and minimum fines that trap low-income New Yorkers in cycles of debt and incarceration. “As a public defender, I have seen firsthand how mandatory court fines and fees trap New Yorkers in a cycle of economic instability and further criminalization and incarceration” said Jackie Gosdigian, Supervising Policy Counsel in the Criminal Defense Practice.
In The News
Court Fees & Fines
May 17, 2025
NYC Public Defenders, Public Advocate Williams, and Immigrant & Civil Rights Groups Join Legal Fight to Block ICE’s Return to Rikers, Warn of “Irreparable Harm” from Adams Administration Order
Brooklyn Defenders joined a coalition of New York City public defender offices, immigrant and civil rights organizations, other advocacy groups, and New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams to file a joint amicus brief in support of the New York City Council’s lawsuit challenging the Adams Administration’s Executive Order 50, which would allow U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to return to Rikers Island.
Press Releases
Immigration Consequences of Criminal Legal System Involvement
May 12, 2025
Statement from the Alliance to Protect Kalief’s Law on Discovery Rollbacks
The Alliance to Protect Kalief’s Law, a statewide coalition of impacted New Yorkers, public defender offices, civil rights organizations, leading advocacy groups, clergy, labor, and many others, issued a statement on discovery rollbacks included in New York’s Fiscal Year 2026 budget.
Press Releases
Discovery - Access to Evidence
May 9, 2025
Brooklyn Defenders Urges All Stakeholders Be Included in Discovery Negotiations
Brooklyn Defenders issued a statement urging all stakeholders be included in discovery negotiations: “For decades, New York’s previous discovery statute was commonly known as the ‘Blindfold Law,’ as it allowed law enforcement to withhold evidence until the eve of trial, effectively ‘blindfolding’ people accused of crimes and their attorneys."
Press Releases
Discovery - Access to Evidence
April 17, 2025
Queens Eagle: "Dismissed Queens criminal case highlights discovery debate"
"The 2nd Department's recent decision, People v. Coley, is based on a due diligence standard, which is an objective way for courts to ensure that prosecutors are doing their jobs," said Yung-Mi Lee, the Director of Law and Appeals at Brooklyn Defender Services’ Criminal Defense Practice. “There is no flaw or loophole in the law that allowed for this dismissal. This case was not dismissed based on a ‘technicality.’”
In The News
Discovery - Access to Evidence
April 14, 2025
Brooklyn Defenders’ Statement on Legislation to Codify People v. Bay and Strengthen Discovery Law Practice and Due Process
Brooklyn Defenders issued a statement in response to the introduction of Senator Cordell Cleare’s legislation that will ensure compliance with the intent of New York’s discovery laws by codifying the Court of Appeals ruling, People v. Bay.
Press Releases
Discovery - Access to Evidence
April 11, 2025

COVID at ‘crisis level’ on Rikers, NYC’s Dept. of Corrections outgoing chief warns

Latest News

Parents, Public Defenders, and Advocates Hail Passage of the Anti-Harassment in Reporting Act; Urge Governor to Sign Into Law

Brooklyn Defenders Hails Passage of the Promoting Pre-Trial (PromPT) Stability Act in New York State Assembly; Urges Senate to Bring to a Vote

A Spotlight on Brooklyn Defenders’ Seizure & Surveillance Defense Project

The Markup: The NYC Algorithm Deciding Which Families Are Under Watch for Child Abuse

Queens Eagle: Lawmakers call for the end of ‘predatory’ court fees

NYC Public Defenders, Public Advocate Williams, and Immigrant & Civil Rights Groups Join Legal Fight to Block ICE’s Return to Rikers, Warn of “Irreparable Harm” from Adams Administration Order

Statement from the Alliance to Protect Kalief’s Law on Discovery Rollbacks

Brooklyn Defenders Urges All Stakeholders Be Included in Discovery Negotiations

Queens Eagle: "Dismissed Queens criminal case highlights discovery debate"

Brooklyn Defenders’ Statement on Legislation to Codify People v. Bay and Strengthen Discovery Law Practice and Due Process