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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. Urgently.

Our Commission’s Blueprint of proven policies and investments, crafted through deep research, analysis, and consultations, charts the path to safely and permanently close Rikers as soon as possible.

We work with community, criminal justice system, and government stakeholders to implement this clear, actionable path to end the scourge of 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 →

 

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