US District Judge Laura Taylor Swain in Manhattan said the city had placed incarcerated people in “unconstitutional danger” by failing to comply with 18 separate provisions of court orders pertaining to security,

NEW YORK -- A federal judge found New York City in contempt on Wednesday over conditions in its city jails, saying conditions have only worsened in the nine years since the city settled accusations of abuse and violence. Judge Laura Taylor Swain in Manhattan issued a written ruling finding the city in contempt over 18 separate contempt claims.

A U.S. judge on Wednesday said she was leaning toward ordering a federal takeover of New York City's Rikers Island jail complex, after finding the city had failed to improve violent conditions that put inmates and staff at risk.