New Yorkers trying to visit loved ones on Rikers Island are routinely forced to endure hours-long waits, inconsistent rules and poor communication from the Department of Correction, according to a scathing new City Council report.
Chair of the Council’s Criminal Justice Committee, Sandy Nurse (D-Brooklyn), opened a Wednesday hearing on the topic with a blunt assessment: “For family members, an hour-long visit is a day-long endeavor,” she said, noting Rikers’ isolation more than a mile and a half from the nearest subway. “The Oversight and Investigations Division has identified some maddening inefficiencies and inconsistencies in this process.”
The OID report, which comes as federal oversight and a looming shutdown plan drags on, found that a maximum one-hour visit often requires five to six hours on the island, with visitors shuffled through long lines, redundant screening and a maze of waiting rooms. Signage about expedited lines for people with babies is posted after they’ve already waited, investigators said…