ON INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS AWARENESS DAY, SURVIVORS OF RIKERS, FAITH LEADERS, AND OTHER ALLIES DEMAND MAYOR ADAMS DECARCERATE AND CLOSE RIKERS ISLAND
In 2019, New York City passed legislation requiring that Rikers Island close by August 31, 2027. On December 10, International Human Rights Day, survivors of Rikers, impacted families, faith leaders and other partners in the Campaign to Close Rikers hand-delivered over 3,000 hand-signed postcards calling for the Mayor to take action now to decarcerate and close Rikers.
On Rikers, which has also been referred to as Torture Island, one in 5 people have a serious mental health issue, and the percentage is growing. Evidence continues to mount that people are not safe there, including continued illegal use of solitary confinement; revelations of sexual abuse claims on Rikers spanning decades; recent disclosure of DOC officers “deadlocking” people with severe mental health needs; and the decision last month by a federal judge to hold New York City in contempt over the failure to reduce violence at Rikers. All of these issues will be exacerbated by a plan recently proposed by the Department of Correction and approved by the Mayor’s appointees to the Board of Correction which would add 290 total beds to facilities on Rikers.
"This International Human Rights Day calls for us to reckon with the humanitarian crisis happening in our city, within Rikers Island," said Council Member Sandy Nurse. "As abuses and rights violations continue to mount each year, it has never been clearer that we must find a new way forward to community-centered alternatives and restorative justice-oriented investments. As we get closer to the 2027 deadline to close Rikers, we must build our city’s mental health infrastructure and prioritize the safety and well-being of all New Yorkers.”
Gina Pondexter, member of Freedom Agenda and sister of Ellmore Robert Pondexter, who died immediately after release from DOC custody said, "You have families that are looking for justice, that are depressed, that are falling mentally ill, because we have lack of answers, no care for our family members. I think the mayor should help us in our healing process, in our grieving process, by closing Rikers Island down, and doing it immediately."
Khadira Savage, member of Freedom Agenda and sister of Roy Savage, who died immediately after release from DOC custody said, “Closing Rikers is just the beginning of the work that will need to be put back into our communities as we are forced to deal with these situations and just carry on with life. The domino effect has impacted millions of NYC residents and it’s time to speak up. Not just for my brother but for all the people who did not deserve to die in such horrible conditions."
Darren Mack, Co-Director of Freedom Agenda said, "Today, we're delivering thousands of postcards from New Yorkers in every borough calling on the Mayor to take action to close Rikers and invest in real safety. New Yorkers know that subjecting our neighbors to torture on Rikers while refusing to fund vital services and proven alternatives undermines both human rights and public safety. But that's been Mayor Adams' main playbook - and it's been a failure. Closing Rikers is a legal and moral mandate, and instead of making plans to send more people to Rikers, the Mayor should be working to deliver on his campaign promises to fund upstream solutions and get Rikers closed."
Kandra Clark, VP of Policy & Strategy of Exodus Transitional Community said, “The more resourced a community is, the safer it is. If we address the root causes of incarceration, we make our communities safer. Closing Rikers Island involves investing in communities. It involves providing people with the resources they need to be successful for themselves, their families and their community. Delivering thousands of postcards today proves that New Yorkers across all communities care about closing Rikers and investing in community safety. And we stand in solidarity demanding that identified solutions be implemented immediately.
"As people of faith, we affirm that the dignity and worth of every human being is a matter of fundamental human rights,” said Reverend Mira Sawlani-Joyner, Minister of Justice, Advocacy and Change, The Riverside Church. “Building a world where everyone can flourish means investing in education, healthcare, workforce training, and housing—not jails that perpetuate cycles of trauma and harm. Rikers Island, long synonymous with violence and neglect, stands as a grave injustice to our shared humanity. Closing Rikers is not just about dismantling a facility; it is about dismantling systems of oppression and building a society rooted in equity and compassion. We call on the Mayor to act decisively to decarcerate, to invest in the resources that truly empower communities to thrive and fulfill the promise of a more just and humane city."
Jason Rodriguez, Research Policy Associate at the Legal Action Center said, "Rikers Island represents the worst failures of our justice system—prioritizing punishment over progress and neglecting the human lives caught in its grip. Every day it remains open, lives are lost, families are fractured, and communities are destabilized. We already have the tools and proven solutions in Alternatives to Incarceration programs to safely decarcerate and build stronger, healthier communities. The mandate to close Rikers by 2027 is not just a deadline—it’s a commitment to justice and a moral obligation to stop the harm. Mayor Adams must act decisively to ensure Rikers is closed for good and that resources are redirected to programs that prioritize accountability, rehabilitation, and equity."
Jonathan McLean, CEO of CASES said, "Mental illness is not a crime, and yet there are far too many New Yorkers on Rikers Island, most of them legally innocent, who are being denied access to essential care that would allow them to live successfully in the community. Even worse, the continued chaos on Rikers often creates or exacerbates mental health conditions, setting up our court-involved neighbors for failure once they are released. CASES programs prove that we can provide safe, effective care that reduces recidivism and increases housing and employment rates for a fraction of the cost of incarceration or hospitalization. We must close Rikers by the legal deadline and invest in alternatives to incarceration and detention, including high-quality, community-based mental health treatment."
“Human rights violations on Rikers are a stain on the very humanity of New York City. More than half the jail’s population have mental health conditions, and over 1,000 suffer from serious mental illness. More than 1,200 young adults under 26 are incarcerated on the Island—they are particularly vulnerable to the pervasive violence and trauma. The criminalization of mental health is a direct result of the City’s lack of community-based mental health services and supportive housing, yet while this administration dithers, Rikers remains open and the torture of detained New Yorkers continues. What more could we possibly need to know to make closing Rikers an urgent priority?” said Daniele Gerard, senior staff attorney at Children’s Rights.
Rob DeLeon, Deputy CEO of The Fortune Society, said, "We must finally close Rikers and ensure that the new borough-based jails are not plagued by the same historic inhumane conditions and culture of neglect. We know what works to keep people safe in our communities which is connection to well-resourced, culturally competent, trauma-informed care and supports, as well as equal access to housing and employment. We must break the cycle of jail to the streets, to our shelters and under-resourced communities, to the emergency room and back to our jails and prisons. We urge the Administration and all stakeholders to invest in what works, and to act with urgency to meet the deadline of August 2027. For far too long, Rikers Island has been a moral stain on our city. Fortune calls for the timely closure of Rikers Island and we stand ready as a thought partner and service provider towards meeting that end."
Rabbi Barat Ellman said, “The existence of the Rikers Island jail complex is a moral stain on New York City. The essential dignity of every human being, each of us made in the image of God, is a sacred tenet of Judaism. No one, no matter what they have done, deserves to live in a place so brutal, decrepit, chemically toxic, and isolated. And most of the Rikers population hasn’t been convicted of anything criminal but is there awaiting trial. For decades the non-incarcerated population of New York City has been ignorant of the conditions on the island, but recent exposés have shone a light on the violence, abuse, poor medical treatment, and indifferent care on the part of corrections officers that plague Rikers. And we have been shocked. These conditions stand in opposition to everything that I, as a rabbi, a Jew, and a New Yorker believe a just city must provide to even the least of its citizens. Rikers must close. The mayor must act aggressively to reduce incarceration in city jails and to invest in the services that will enable historically disadvantaged communities to flourish.”
“Today’s action reiterates the sustained clarity of the call to the Mayor: Close Rikers Island!” said The Rev. Leandra Lisa Lambert, Associate Rector for Social Justice & Reconciliation, Grace Church Brooklyn Heights. “Rikers Island has not made New York City safer or stronger. The best measures of our safety and strength are our investments in health care, education, employment opportunities, alternatives to incarceration, and, when necessary, our ability to detain with dignity. This moment requires the moral imagination to see and move beyond our City’s historic failures. Our neighbors, relatives and friends at Rikers deserve to have their humanity restored.”
"Closing Rikers is a legal mandate and a moral imperative for people who live, work, or visit loved ones there. The messages delivered today from thousands of families and advocates tell a tragic story about lives squandered and lost in an inhumane setting that is beyond repair. Restorative programming has been all but eliminated and low-income Black and brown people languish with no guarantee of personal safety, getting to court, or treatment for pervasive mental illness. On this day when we celebrate the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, we must stand up for our fellow New Yorkers on Rikers and uphold their human dignity with a call to close Rikers once and for all," said Jonathan Monsalve, President and CEO of Osborne Association.
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