Sorry State of New York Jails Slammed by Manhattan Federal Judge

The conditions at federally-run jails in Manhattan and Brooklyn are so bad that it’s now “routine” for judges to give reduced sentences, Judge Jesse M. Furman said Thursday in an order allowing a convicted drug offender to remain free pending sentencing.

“Prosecutors no longer even put up a fight, let alone dispute that the state of affairs is unacceptable,” Furman said.

A key problem is chronic under-staffing. As of November 2023, the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, which serves the US District Court for the Southern District of New York, was operating with only 55% of its full correctional officer ...