In 2022, Strategic Health Advisers (SHA) was contracted by the City of New York as the lead environmental consultant for Rikers Island. Our mission at Rikers is grounded in the immediate, vital work of public health: ensuring that the living and working conditions within the facilities meet the highest standards of safety and sanitation.

Our work at Rikers is directly connected to Benjamin v. Malcolm, one of the most significant federal class-action lawsuits for correctional oversight in the United States. The court orders stemming from this decades-long case are clear, indicating the City is legally mandated to maintain specific sanitary conditions within Rikers jails.

These mandates cover critical environmental factors, including:

• Ventilation & Air Quality: Ensuring proper airflow to prevent the spread of respiratory illness.
• Plumbing & Water Access: Maintaining functional, sanitary systems for all individuals in custody.
• Lighting & Temperature Control: Meeting essential human needs for habitable environments.
• Vermin & Pest Control: Implementing rigorous, institutional-grade abatement strategies.
• Sanitation: Executing rigorous, industrial-grade decontamination and waste management protocols for high-density, high-stakes environments.

At SHA, we are the technical bridge between these court-ordered standards and their real-world implementation.

• Rigorous Auditing: Using data-driven assessments to identify gaps in compliance.
• Strategic Remediation: Providing the City with actionable roadmaps to resolve sanitary deficiencies.
• Continuous Monitoring: Ensuring that once a standard is met, it is sustained through better policy and practice.

The conditions within an institution reflect the health of the community at large. By ensuring the City of New York remains in compliance with the Benjamin v. Malcolm orders, we are protecting the rights, dignity, and health of everyone on the island, including both staff and incarcerated persons.
SHA continues to lead the way in institutional sanitation consulting, proving that with the right expertise, even the most complex environmental challenges can be managed with precision and integrity.