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Q&A
Council Member Sandy Nurse questions DOC officials on training, PACE units, and ICE presence at Rikers Island
0:37:19
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4 min
Council Member Sandy Nurse conducts a series of questions to Department of Corrections officials about various topics including officer training updates, PACE units at Rikers Island, the formation of a culture change committee, and potential ICE operations at Rikers. The officials provide updates and clarifications on these matters, with some topics being subject to ongoing litigation.
- Officials confirm that situational awareness training hasn't been updated since 2020, but other trainings have been offered.
- The number of PACE units at Rikers has increased from 5 in 2020 to 10 currently.
- Discussions about ICE operations at Rikers are currently in a litigation posture, limiting what can be disclosed.
- The appointment of an independent remediation manager for jail reform is mentioned, but budget discussions for this have not yet occurred.
Sandy Nurse
0:37:19
For the April and May updates provided for the category develop new training for correction officers, program staff, and healthcare staff, States that DOC and CHS developed a situational awareness training module in 2020.
0:37:34
Has this training been updated since?
0:37:40
Just a yes or no.
0:37:42
I I we don't need a whole description of it.
0:37:44
Just a
James Saunders
0:37:49
Hi.
0:37:49
Thank you for that question, deputy commissioner James Saunders.
0:37:53
Specifically to that question, I'm gonna have to say no, but I know that there has been other training that has been offered.
0:38:00
I think crisis intervention de escalation and CIT training that that has been provided, but we will have to
Roberto Ponce
0:38:05
get back to you
Sandy Nurse
0:38:06
about that.
0:38:06
Yeah.
0:38:06
If you could send a a write up of what that training is, that is kind of complementing or supplanting that.
0:38:13
And then for PACE units, there was a commitment to double the number of PACE units in DOC by the end of twenty twenty.
0:38:21
How many PACE units are on Rikers today?
James Saunders
0:38:24
So from 2020 to today, I think in 2020, we had five, and as of today, we currently have 10.
Sandy Nurse
0:38:31
And how are we for staffing?
0:38:32
Do we have adequate staffing for the PACE units?
James Saunders
0:38:35
So staffing is a combination of uniform staff and CHS staff.
0:38:36
Staffing is a combination of uniform staff and CHS staff.
0:38:40
So I will have to let CHS staff discuss the clinical side.
0:38:44
And with respect to operations, I'll let the operations folks discuss that.
0:38:48
But with respect to uniform, there was a higher number of uniform staff in that type of setting.
Nilbia Coyote
0:38:55
Okay.
0:38:56
Okay.
Sandy Nurse
0:38:56
Thank you.
0:38:57
In terms of the formation of a culture change committee of the justice implementation task force.
0:39:06
It said it was still in progress as of April.
0:39:10
What is the status of this committee?
Alex Maldonado
0:39:13
I think the the original imagining of the culture change committee was kind of stalled with COVID and sort of the staffing crisis that emerged afterwards, but we are working with commissioner McGinley Liddy and our partners at the administration as well as MACJ to reimagine what that looks like, understanding that moving into the new borough based jails will require a shift for both our staff and our individuals in custody, and so we're committed to finding a way to work together better in the new facilities.
Sandy Nurse
0:39:43
So before the reimagining, so just there's been no there's been no committee forum, there's been no meeting?
Alex Maldonado
0:39:51
There were prior to my appointment, there were the the talks had stalled, but we are reinvigorating reinvigorating that now.
Sandy Nurse
0:39:59
So no, there's been no committee meeting ever?
Alex Maldonado
0:40:03
Not that I'm aware of.
Sandy Nurse
0:40:04
Okay.
0:40:06
Okay.
0:40:08
Just a few more questions.
0:40:11
Regarding ICE on Rikers, We've asked every single time, have there been any further discussions since our last hearing regarding ICE opening or setting up operations on Rikers Island?
James Conroy
0:40:24
Chair, as a council aware, we're in current litigation with the council regarding that, so we can't comment on negotiations.
0:40:32
But right now, there's a stay to that.
0:40:34
There's no negotiations happening
Sandy Nurse
0:40:36
yet.
0:40:36
So just to confirm, there have been no further discussions since our last hearing?
James Conroy
0:40:40
Well, since the last hearing, there was.
0:40:42
Right?
0:40:43
That was before the executive order was signed?
Sandy Nurse
0:40:46
Well, that was my question.
0:40:47
So Yeah.
0:40:47
Can you tell us when that was?
James Conroy
0:40:50
Well, that was on the just proceeding.
0:40:52
I forget the exact date when the executive order was signed.
0:40:55
I have it somewhere.
0:40:55
But preceding that, we had conversations with the administration.
0:40:59
And then, obviously, the executive order was signed, now we're in a litigation posture.
Sandy Nurse
0:41:04
So who would be present for that conversation?
0:41:07
Who was present for that conversation?
James Conroy
0:41:09
Present?
0:41:09
I was involved in conversations.
Sandy Nurse
0:41:11
And who else?
0:41:12
Who were the who were the staff members from DOC present in that discussion?
James Conroy
0:41:16
I think really just myself and the commissioner, but I I don't think together.
0:41:19
There was not present.
0:41:20
Please
Sandy Nurse
0:41:21
can you confirm that in the follow-up?
James Conroy
0:41:23
Yeah.
Sandy Nurse
0:41:23
As long as as well as the date.
0:41:28
One more question about the federal monitor, and then I'll pass it back to the chair.
0:41:35
Chief District Judge Laura Taylor Swain has ruled that an independent remediation manager will be appointed to work with the department to develop a phase action plan to create reform within the jails.
0:41:47
As you know, we'll have to pay, the city's gonna have to pay for the remediation manager.
0:41:51
Have you accounted for that in, or had a conversation with OMB for that in in upcoming budgets?
James Conroy
0:41:57
There have been no conversations regarding that.
0:42:00
Obviously, you know, that's that's also in what will be active litigation is active litigation, so we can't comment on that.
0:42:06
Okay.
Sandy Nurse
0:42:08
Okay.
0:42:09
I I'll ask other questions after, but turning it back over to chair.