Senior Jail Serives Attorney Michael Klinger testified this week that systemic delays and obstructions at Rikers Island are violating the constitutional right to counsel.

During a Board of Correction hearing, Klinger described how staff routinely claim clients have “refused” visits that were never offered, adding: “Clients later tell us they never refused, were never informed, or were misled into thinking they were being taken to court.” Defense organizations are calling on the city to enforce timely access and end conditions that routinely delay or deny attorney-client visits.

Read the full piece in The City here.