REMARKS
Council Member Carlina Rivera addresses sexual abuse in city jails and introduces legislation
0:38:58
·
149 sec
Council Member Carlina Rivera expresses empathy for sexual abuse survivors in city jails and discusses legislative efforts to address the issue. She introduces her bill, Intro 792, which would require the Department of Correction to use a case management system to track investigations of sexual abuse.
- Rivera highlights the epidemic of sexual abuse in the jail system, particularly at Rikers Island
- She criticizes the delay in investigating abuse allegations, with many cases exceeding the 90-day mandate
- The council member emphasizes the need for further protections and accountability measures for individuals in DOC custody
Carlina Rivera
0:38:58
Thank you.
0:39:00
Thank you for being here.
0:39:01
We we believe you.
0:39:07
Thank you for sharing.
0:39:08
This is it's physically signaling to hear this, to know that you are on the city's care, and went through this over decades.
0:39:17
This council, you know, we've banned solitary confinement.
0:39:22
We passed the Gendermotivated Violence Act.
0:39:25
It's not enough.
0:39:28
It's not enough.
0:39:29
It's not gonna it's not gonna fix this.
0:39:30
It has not.
0:39:31
It will not.
0:39:32
Address your pain, but we're gonna keep going.
0:39:37
And I wanna thank chair nurse for her leadership.
0:39:39
She convenes this deeply important hearing, and, of course, for really just hearing my bill, intro 792.
0:39:47
I passed the bill.
0:39:48
That was very similar to this in 2018 to hold the NYPD special victims division accountable, creating case management systems act track and monitor investigations, cases, and other activities of that division because we found out they actually weren't doing it.
0:40:04
They didn't have the capacity.
0:40:07
They didn't have the personnel.
0:40:09
And this bill would require the Department of Correction to use a case management system to track investigations of sexual abuse, and it won't fix that everything.
0:40:19
But we need to know and we need the accountability.
0:40:25
With more than half of the adult survivor act filings related to Ryker's Island, it's clear that there is an epidemic of sexual abuse in the jail system, and the Department of Correction has a duty to care for those in its custody, and they must be held accountable.
0:40:39
Right now, we're seeing that a lot of the reporting finds that investigation into these accusations are actually happening under this administration.
0:40:46
So from 40 years up to right now, and I'm sure beyond that.
0:40:50
More than 40% of the department's investigations into abuse and sexual harassment allegations last year dragged on beyond a local and federal mandate that cases be fully investigated and closed within 90 days after a complaint is filed.
0:41:04
So justice delayed.
0:41:06
As you can imagine.
0:41:08
It is clear that counsel must implement further protections to ensure that individuals who are in DOC custody are not being sexually abused and that perpetrators are being held accountable.
0:41:19
So, again, I wanna thank chair nurse.
0:41:21
I wanna thank my colleagues, and I just wanna thank you all really from the bottom of my heart for being here.
0:41:26
Thank you.
