CAMPAIGN TO CLOSE RIKERS DECRIES PLANS TO INCREASE CAPACITY IN RIKERS JAILS, CALLS FOR ACTION TO DECARCERATE

Yesterday, the Board of Correction approved a four month variance request from the Department of Correction to add up to 290 beds to general population dorms within Rikers Island jails, and to waive minimum per person requirements for toilets, showers, and other amenities. While the full variance was not published ahead of the meeting, DOC’s presentation indicated plans to add more capacity in the future.  In response, the Campaign to Close Rikers released the following statement:

“The Department of Correction should never have requested this dangerous variance, and the Board of Correction never should have granted it. Anyone paying attention knows that DOC is already failing to deliver even a basic level of services or safety to people in their custody, and adding more capacity will only add to the suffering of everyone in that torture chamber. While incarcerated people, family members, and allies have continued to sound the alarm and call for investments in proven solutions to reduce the jail population while improving public safety and community well-being, the Adams administration has continued to pursue failed strategies that rely on criminalization instead of care. We call on the Mayor to utilize the 6-A release program, to make the long overdue investments in prevention and diversion that our communities have always deserved, and to honor the legal and moral obligation to close Rikers.”

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