New York Attorney General Letitia James threw her office’s considerable influence Friday behind a court-ordered takeover of Rikers Island and other city lockups. In a letter to Manhattan Federal Judge Laura Taylor Swain, James argued that only receivership can fix decades of dysfunction in the city’s beleaguered jail system. “A receiver is needed to effectuate the safety and order required .
Louis N. Scarcella, a former N.Y.P.D. detective, was accused of framing dozens of people for murder. The city and state have paid a steep price to settle claims over the past decade.