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Council Member Farah N. Louis urges support for Intro 1061-A to address sexual abuse in correctional facilities
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Council Member Farah N. Louis addresses the City Council, advocating for the passage of Intro 1061-A, a bill aimed at improving accountability and transparency in reporting sexual abuse incidents in correctional facilities, particularly at Rikers Island. She emphasizes the urgent need for this legislation due to the persistent crisis of sexual abuse in the correctional system.
- The bill mandates unique identifiers for each incident and victim, clarifies reporting procedures, and requires justifications when substantiated cases are not referred to district attorneys.
- Louis cites a lawsuit by over 700 incarcerated women and an audit by the city council's data team as evidence of the systemic issues in the current reporting system.
- She urges her colleagues to vote yes on Intro 1061-A to address long-standing gaps in oversight and demand accountability.
Farah N. Louis
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Thank you madam majority leader and good afternoon colleagues.
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Today the city council will vote on intro ten sixty one, a critical piece of legislation to bring long overdue accountability to our correctional system and address the persistent crisis of sexual abuse at Rikers Island.
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For far too long, those in custody, particularly women and LGBTQ plus individuals have endured harassment, assault and abuse with no accountability.
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More than 700 incarcerated women sued the city last year under the adult survivors act exposing a pattern of systemic sexual violence by jail staff, wardens, and even medical personnel.
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Yet our current system has failed to ensure transparency or justice.
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Intro ten sixty one directly confronts this failure.
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It mandates the Department of Correction to assign unique identifiers for each incident and victim, clarify reporting procedures, and provide justifications when substantiated cases are not referred to district attorneys.
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These measures will close long standing gaps in oversight and demand accountability where there has been no silence.
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An audit by the city council's data team has shown that the department's reporting practices are deeply flawed, riddled with vague terminology and lacking transparency.
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This bill ensures that no allegation of sexual abuse is ignored.
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I thank speaker Adams for prioritizing this legislation and urge my colleagues to vote yes on intro ten sixty one today.
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Thank you.