New York Pays Up To $300M For Rikers Release Delays

New York City has agreed to pay up to $300 million to settle a lawsuit filed on behalf of thousands of detainees whose release was delayed by hours or even days after they were given bail, according to court records and a lawyer.

The city will pay $3,500 to any inmate who claims their release was delayed by three hours or more, according to a copy of the agreement filed with federal district court in Manhattan.

There have been around 72,000 such people since 2014, said Debbie Greenberger, one of the attorneys who brought the case. Because some inmates experienced a late release more than once, the total number of cases eligible for a settlement payment is estimated at about 94,000, she said.

The agreement has yet to be approved by a judge, John G. Koeltl, who is overseeing the case.

“This settlement offers significant relief to the more than 70,000 people held in Rikers or other prisons,” Ms. Greenberger said. Once the deal is approved, she said there are plans to use television, social media and other promotional channels “to spread the word widely.”

The deal highlights the types of delays and glitches that were endemic to the city’s prisons.

Patrick Rocchio, a spokesman for the Department of Correction, said: “The Department has worked with outdated systems and processes for decades to operate our prisons in the 21st century, and the settlement of this dispute brings that era to a close.”

This is a breaking story and will be updated.