Holding Institutional Predators Accountable for Decades of Misconduct at Rikers Island
The Rose M. Singer Center, commonly known as “Rosie’s,” is a women’s correctional facility located on Rikers Island in the East River of New York City. Since its opening in 1988, it has served as the primary detention center for women and gender-expansive individuals within the New York City jail system. The facility was originally designed to provide housing, vocational training, and thorough health services for female inmates awaiting trial or serving short sentences.
Owned and operated by the New York City Department of Correction (NYCDOC), the Rose M. Singer Center has a significant capacity and a stated mission of rehabilitation. However, its regulatory history is marred by severe safety concerns. In 2012, a Department of Justice investigation identified the facility as one of the least safe in the United States, specifically citing the high prevalence of sexual abuse and staff misconduct. Survivors may also want to review related claims involving survivors at Female Secure Care.
The Rose M. Singer Center has faced widespread allegations of systemic sexual abuse, creating what survivors describe as a “pervasive culture of rape.” Reports detail violent sexual assaults, including rape, forced oral sex, and inappropriate touching perpetrated by male correctional staff. Guards frequently leveraged their positions of absolute authority to coerce sexual favors or brutally assault female detainees, often in areas with minimal surveillance or during late-night hours.
Investigations have also uncovered instances of invasive strip searches used as a tool for harassment. Beyond the physical acts of violence, staff members have been accused of pressuring victims to delay or withhold reports of abuse through intimidation, threats of punishment, and the withholding of basic necessities. This environment of silence allowed abuse to fester for decades, as highlighted by multiple legal filings and government reports. Similar cases have been documented involving survivors at Camden County Juvenile Detention.
The victims were primarily women and gender-expansive individuals incarcerated at the Rose M. Singer Center. Many were in highly vulnerable positions, awaiting trial or serving short sentences for non-violent offenses. A significant number of survivors were young women, including some held at the facility as juveniles prior to the implementation of “Raise the Age” legislation in New York.
The institutional setting enabled this abuse by creating a power imbalance that guards exploited. Victims describe being forced into “survival sex” where basic necessities—such as hygiene products or phone calls—were traded for sexual acts. Vulnerability factors, including past trauma and the threat of disciplinary retaliation, were systematically used to ensure victims remained silent about their victimization. Our attorneys also represent abuse at Juvenile Detention.
Hundreds of lawsuits have been filed against the City of New York under the Adult Survivors Act and the Gender-Motivated Violence Act. These legal actions allege decades of systemic failure to protect detainees from known predators within the staff. Criminal charges have also been brought against several officers, including Jose Cosme, who pleaded guilty to felony sex crimes. The New York City Council’s passage of Introduction 1297-2025 has been a key development, reopening the path for survivors to seek justice against the institutions that enabled their abuse.
Notable Settlement Examples:
Liability in Rose M. Singer Center sexual abuse cases extends beyond the individual perpetrators. While the specific guards and staff members are directly responsible for their criminal acts, the City of New York and the Department of Correction can be held liable under theories of vicarious liability and negligent supervision. This means the institution is responsible for the actions of its employees and its failure to implement adequate safeguards to prevent abuse. Phillips Law Group represents survivors of abuse at New York City correctional facilities like the Rose M. Singer Center and fights to hold the City accountable. Our attorneys have handled juvenile detention abuse cases across the country.
Publicly named perpetrators include former corrections officers Steven Santiago, David Johnson, Nana Osei, and Jose Cosme. Staff members like Officer Leonard McNeill, who was fired for pressuring a victim to withhold reports, demonstrate the systemic nature of the cover-ups. Parent agencies and government oversight bodies may also face scrutiny for failing to act on reports from the Bureau of Justice Statistics and the Department of Justice.
To be eligible to file a lawsuit, you must have been an inmate or detainee at the Rose M. Singer Center (RMSC) on Rikers Island at the time the abuse occurred. The current legal windows, particularly the Gender-Motivated Violence Act (GMVA), allow for claims involving abuse that occurred at any time prior to January 9, 2022. Eligibility is not restricted by the length of your sentence or the nature of your original charges. Phillips Law Group’s experienced sexual abuse attorneys practice is dedicated to holding institutions accountable.
Survivors of institutional sexual abuse may be entitled to various forms of compensation to address the physical, emotional, and financial toll of their experience. These awards are intended to help survivors of Rose M. Singer Center abuse access the care they need and to hold the City of New York accountable for the conditions it allowed.
If a claim involves New York City or another public entity, timing often becomes a central issue. Lawyers commonly review General Municipal Law § 50-e on notices of claim and General Municipal Law § 50-i on suits against municipalities, because those rules can affect whether and how a case proceeds.
For some survivors, other New York City remedies can matter too. The Victims of Gender-Motivated Violence Protection Law, NYC Administrative Code § 10-1101 et seq., is another statute that attorneys may analyze in the right factual setting. In an East Elmhurst sexual abuse investigation at Rose M Singer Center, a lawyer often reviews:
That early review can help narrow the issues and reduce avoidable procedural mistakes.
While traditional statutes of limitations often bar decades-old claims, recent New York legislation has created critical “lookback windows” for survivors. The New York Adult Survivors Act previously provided a window that closed in 2023, but the New York City Gender-Motivated Violence Act (GMVA) currently offers a vital alternative. Under the 2026 amendment (Bill 1297-A), a new lookback window opened on March 1, 2026, and is scheduled to remain open until March 1, 2027.
This revival statute allows survivors to file civil lawsuits for gender-motivated violence that occurred at any time in the past. It is essential to understand that these deadlines are strict; once the window closes, the ability to seek justice through the civil courts may be lost forever. Survivors should not assume it is too late to file, regardless of how much time has passed since the abuse.
Institutional Abuse Statistics:
Institutional abuse is notoriously underreported due to fear of retaliation, lack of trust in the reporting system, and the “culture of silence” enforced by staff. Organizations like RAINN and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) provide resources for survivors to understand the national scope of these issues.
Several key laws protect the rights of survivors and provide the legal framework for seeking justice:
Our experienced attorneys offer free, confidential consultations for survivors of abuse at Rose M. Singer Center.
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