Verbatim Interpreting is cleared by the New York City Department of Correction for in-facility interpreting at Rikers Island and the borough jails — a credential most language agencies cannot provide.
If you are defending a client who is in custody and does not speak English, the interpreter has to be able to get through the door. Most cannot. That is the practical problem this page addresses.
Why most agencies cannot do this work
Interpreting inside a correctional facility is not a scheduling problem, it is a clearance problem. Facility access requires vetting and approval by the Department of Correction before an interpreter can enter. An agency that has never been through that process cannot send someone on short notice, however qualified the linguist is.
The result is a familiar situation for defense counsel: an attorney-client visit gets arranged, the interpreter is turned away or was never approved, and the visit is wasted. With a client in custody and a calendar running, that delay has consequences.
What we cover in custody
- Attorney-client visits — privileged consultations at Rikers Island and borough facilities
- Case preparation — reviewing discovery, statements, and plea offers with a client in custody
- Defense investigator interviews — witness and client interviews conducted in facility
- Mitigation and social work interviews — often the longest and most linguistically demanding sessions
- Competency and forensic evaluations — working alongside the examining clinician
- Immigration detention matters — consultations for detained clients
What in-facility interpreting actually demands
Custodial settings impose constraints that ordinary legal interpreting does not:
- Security screening and restrictions on devices. Interpreters generally cannot bring phones, tablets, or reference material inside. Terminology has to be known, not looked up.
- Fixed and limited time. Visits run to the facility’s schedule, not the attorney’s. An interpreter who works slowly costs you the meeting.
- Difficult acoustics and physical barriers. Partitions, glass, background noise, and telephone handsets all degrade intelligibility. Experience matters more here than in a conference room.
- Emotionally demanding content. Clients in custody discuss charges, family, immigration consequences, and fear. The interpreter renders all of it faithfully and without softening.
- Strict neutrality under pressure. A client may appeal directly to the interpreter for help or advice. A professional does not engage, and does not editorialize to counsel afterward.
Privilege and confidentiality
An interpreter present at an attorney-client visit is working within the attorney-client relationship. We treat everything said as privileged and confidential, take no notes out of the facility, and discuss nothing outside the engagement. This is standard professional practice and it is the reason a qualified interpreter — rather than a bilingual family member or a fellow inmate — is the only defensible option for custodial consultations.
Languages
We interpret in eighteen core languages and dispatch 40+ languages on request. Rare-language and same-day requests are handled directly by the principal rather than routed through a call center.
Spanish · Mandarin · Cantonese · French · Korean · Arabic · Portuguese · Russian · Haitian Creole · Polish · Ukrainian · Albanian · Punjabi · Wolof · Uzbek · Hindi · Croatian · Soninke
Coverage and availability
- Facilities: Rikers Island and New York City borough jails
- Also in person: Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, Staten Island, and Long Island — plus New Jersey and Connecticut
- Remote: phone or video interpreting nationwide
- Short notice: accepted
- Hours: 8am to 8pm, 7 days a week
Why defense firms use us
- DOC-cleared for in-facility interpreting — the barrier most agencies cannot clear
- Serving New York law firms, carriers and investigators since 1998
- NAJIT member — National Association of Judiciary Interpreters and Translators
- 5.0 stars on Google across 17 reviews
- Same-day and rare-language requests handled directly by the principal
Book a correctional facility interpreter
Call (718) 496-9129 or email inquiries@interpret.agency — available 8am to 8pm, 7 days a week. Tell us the facility, the language, and the date, and we will confirm availability and clearance.