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CLOSING RIKERS & CREATING A SAFER, MORE JUST NEW YORK CITY

Dilapidated, dangerous, and inordinately expensive, the Rikers Island jail complex harms public safety, staff, and incarcerated people. Rikers must close. However, despite the urgency, the plan to close Rikers by the legal deadline of August 2027 is well behind schedule.

Given these realities, City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, with the support of Mayor Adams, tasked our Commission with re-examining the City’s plan to close Rikers. After over a year of deep research, analysis, and consultations, our Blueprint of proven policies and investments charts a path to safely and permanently close Rikers as soon as possible, in this post-COVID world. Moving from Rikers to a borough-based system of jails and secure hospital-based beds promises to increase safety, inside and outside the facilities, and save New York City over $2 billion per year, once the new system is fully operational. Our Commission looks forward to working with community, criminal justice system, and government stakeholders to implement this clear, actionable path to end the scourge of Rikers.

LATEST REPORT

LATEST OP-ED

A Path Forward: The Blueprint to Close Rikers

“Decrepit, dysfunctional, and violent, Rikers is a crumbling, inordinately expensive incubator of misery and reoffending. Every day its eight operating jails are open, incarcerated people and staff are at grave, unnecessary risk, and public safety is degraded.

Rikers fails New Yorkers and costs us all dearly, on a human and a financial level – more than $400,000 per incarcerated person per year. Rikers’ impact and its neglect for decades have been disproportionately felt. 85% of uniformed staff are Black or Latino. 88% of incarcerated people are also Black or Latino.

For the sake of public safety, basic morality, and fiscal responsibility, Rikers must close as soon as possible. Anything less is unacceptable.” Read More →

Prioritizing victims for true health and safety

“For decades, our city tolerated unacceptable levels of violence and lack of services in the jails. That is bad enough on its own, but it’s even worse when we recognize that most people on Rikers have been crime victims themselves. Missed opportunities in the community to promote their healing are compounded by the ugly harms of Rikers…This lack of support for crime victims underscores the broader failures of the current system, including the ongoing crisis on Rikers Island. Moving toward a justice system that prioritizes treatment, prevention, and safety will do far more to reduce harm than one that has historically relied on an environment of chaos and neglect.” Read More →

 

Incarceration must not only be used sparingly, but also humanely, with a focus on preparing people to re-enter society.

Hon. Jonathan Lippman, Chair, Independent Rikers Commission