Preet Bharara, the top Justice Department official in Manhattan, says he's encouraged by the news that New York City jails will stop holding teenagers in isolation.
Speaking at a breakfast hosted by Crain's New York Business, Bharara said ending solitary confinement for 16 and 17 year olds — many of whom have not yet been charged with crimes — is a step in the right direction.
“But there's a lot more that needs to be done and we're in —I don't want to get into what the discussions are — but we're in discussions, I think the city is very aware of how strongly we feel about this, very aware it's a serious problem,” Bharara said.
In August, Bharara's office released a report that found teenage inmates were being abused by guards at Rikers Island.
Roughly 300 minors are being held there. Fifty-one of those are being kept in solitary, according to the Department of Correction.
Separately, Bharara responded to a new ad by Republican gubernatorial nominee Rob Astorino that suggested Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, is being investigated for corruption, witness tampering, and obstruction of justice related to disbanding of a special ethics commission after just nine months.
Bharara didn't comment on that characterization. But he said his probe was prompted by ethics commission members who wanted their work to continue and handed their files to Bharara's office.
“And we're working on them on our own time and not according to anyone else's political timetable or schedule,” Bharara said.
