Rikers Island Fails to Meet Deadline for Digital Evidence Access for Detainees

The Department of Correction has missed a July 1 deadline to provide detainees at Rikers Island with digital access to case evidence, despite a City Council mandate requiring the initiative.

The legislation, passed last year, gave the DOC nine months to implement a secure platform—such as tablets—allowing detainees to review evidence in their cases. Approximately 85% of the nearly 6,500 people held at Rikers are pretrial detainees awaiting trial. The department has not provided a timeline for compliance.

Security concerns have reportedly delayed the project, according to jail sources. The DOC has been in negotiations with Lighting Law, a tech company that provides similar evidence-access systems to about 15 other jails nationwide. The firm was founded by attorney Alisa Brodkowitz, who developed the platform after struggling to share information with clients abroad during a plane crash investigation.

Under the proposed system, each detainee would receive an individual account to access evidence, including large video files, on department-issued tablets or law library computers. Attorneys would upload materials directly to the platform.

However, implementation has been slow, with no clear deadline set for completion. A jail source cited security risks, such as the potential for detainees to access materials they are not legally permitted to view—such as sensitive videos in child abuse cases—as a key concern.

Zachary Katznelson, executive director of the Independent Rikers Commission, criticized the delay. "It’s been a long time coming, but they just haven’t got it done yet," he said. Katznelson’s organization has advocated for digital evidence access as part of broader efforts to reform the jail system.

The delay comes as a court-appointed remediation manager has ordered top jail officials to propose reform plans over the next year, following years of failed initiatives under federal oversight.

Currently, detainees must rely on limited methods to review case materials, such as physical mail, shared drives in law libraries, or discussions with attorneys during visits or phone calls. Defense lawyers and reform advocates say these methods create significant barriers to a fair defense.

City Councilmember Jennifer Gutiérrez (D-Brooklyn), the bill’s lead sponsor, emphasized the need for modernization. "Technology has transformed nearly every part of our lives, including our courts and justice system, so it must transform in our jails as well," she said last September.

A DOC spokesperson, Patrick Rocchio, stated the department is "actively working to finalize a contract" for the required technology and expects to provide updates soon. He declined to specify who is leading the negotiations or explain the prolonged delays.

The lack of a penalty in the original law means the DOC faces no immediate consequences for missing the deadline. However, advocates warn that continued delays could prompt legal action, including potential class-action lawsuits from detainees.

The DOC has also missed other legally mandated deadlines, including a May 1 report on its plan to close Rikers Island and recent deadlines for reform and early-release reporting.

Katznelson questioned the department’s transparency, asking, "How are we going to have a system that actually keeps people safe? How are we going to have a system that actually is effective at improving public safety instead of hurting it?"