New York City found in contempt over conditions in city jails

A federal judge has found New York City in contempt over conditions in its city jails. Judge Laura Taylor Swain in Manhattan issued a written ruling on Wednesday, finding the city in contempt over 18 separate contempt claims. The ruling stemmed from litigation that began in 2012 with accusations that the city's Department of Correction had engaged in a pattern of excessive and unnecessary force in city jails. Despite a settlement and consent decree agreed to in October 2015, the judge says conditions have only worsened. She ordered all parties to agree on remedies over the next several weeks.