DOC's Molina Cites Trust Factor As Key to Turnaround in Jails

Nearly half of the city’s roughly 2,500 correction officers who were out on some form of sick leave late last year have returned to work, bringing a significant measure of relief to a uniformed contingent that for months last year faced the prospect of triple and even quadruple shifts as conditions in Rikers Island jails descended into near-anarchy.   

The Department of Correction’s newly installed Commissioner, Louis Molina, in large part credits better communication with uniformed staff and their unions for the restoration of a semblance of order to a jail system tormented by high rates of violence inside its lockups, soaring staff absenteeism and poor morale among its officers when he stepped into the role Jan. 1.