New York City Jails Missed Legal Deadline for Digital Evidence Access, Board Says

New York City's jail system missed a legal deadline to give detained people secure digital access to evidence in their criminal cases, the Board of Correction reported in October, leaving thousands of pretrial detainees dependent on a slower system of mailed materials, physical drives and limited law-library equipment.

The deadline and the gap

Under Local Law 138 of 2025, the Department of Correction was required to implement Evidence Review Technology by July 1, letting people with pending cases review audio, photographs, video and documents through department-issued devices or jail law libraries. The Board said the department has identified Lightning Law as its proposed platform but has not completed implementation.

The scale of the impact

About 85 percent of the city jail population was awaiting trial at the end of September, the Board said, with an average daily population of 6,559. Between January and August, 748 tablet replacements were caused by software or technical problems. Whether detainees can review evidence in time bears directly on their ability to participate in their own defence.

What the Board wants, and what is missing

The Board recommended that the department complete procurement with the vendor, train uniformed and civilian staff, and publish quarterly reports during the first year. The report also noted that the department has not publicly provided a firm launch date, a facility-by-facility implementation schedule, or a measure of how many court deadlines were affected by evidence-access delays.

(File photo: New York City jail facility)