ELECTED OFFICIALS, FORMERLY INCARCERATED LEADERS AND ALLIES RALLY TO CALL ON THE ADMINISTRATION TO EXPEDITE THE CLOSURE OF RIKERS
Today, outside of City Hall, elected officials and advocates called on the administration to take all necessary steps to comply with the legal and moral mandate to close Rikers by 2027, including expediting the construction process of borough based jails and substantially expanding funding for and utilization of initiatives proven to reduce incarceration and increase community safety, including supportive housing, community-based mental health and substance use treatment; pre-trial diversion and alternative to incarceration programs; and re-entry supports.
This week, the Adams administration published notice of a proposed contract with Tutor Perini Corporation for construction of the jail to replace the Brooklyn Detention Complex as part of the plan to close Rikers. The contract term cited is 2317 days, stretching into 2029, while city law prohibits incarceration on Rikers after August 31, 2027. With a two-year gap between the legal shuttering of Rikers and the completion of just one of the borough based jails, the City must find ways to expedite the construction process and advance decarceration to ensure timely closure of the Rikers Island jails.
Participants included City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, Public Advocate Jumaane Williams,Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso, City Council Member Lincoln Restler, City Council Member Kevin Riley, Council Member Oswald Feliz, Council Member Carmen de la Rosa, Council Member Chi Osse, New York City Progressive Caucus, More Just NYC (the Lippman Commission), and members of the Campaign to Close Rikers (including Freedom Agenda, Exodus Transitional Community, Urban Justice Center Mental Health Project, Women’s Community Justice Association, Bronx Connect, The Fortune Society, Interfaith Center of New York, Children’s Rights).
Council Speaker Adrienne Adams issued the following joint statement with Committee on Criminal Justice Chair Carlina Rivera: “New York City is required by law to close Rikers by 2027, and the City Council remains committed to ensuring this Administration adheres to that deadline. We know there’s been significant progress in the procurement of contracts for borough-based jails, and physical work began at each site in early 2022. Any borough-based jail contract must align with the 2027 mandate for Rikers’ closure. The inconsistent statements from the Administration over the past days have unacceptably created questions where there should be none – Rikers must close by 2027 and we cannot allow it to continue undermining public safety across our city.
“Last year, 19 people died in our jail system, making it the deadliest year in a decade. The City’s failure to effectively address the mental health crisis has allowed Rikers to become a de facto mental health facility without the appropriate services. Half of its population has a mental health diagnosis, too often worsened by cycling through the criminal legal system. The staff and New Yorkers detained there are subjected to continuing levels of violence and trauma that perpetuate cycles of harm. This cannot continue.
“The evidence is clear on programs that reduce recidivism and improve public safety, but a passive approach that fails to deepen the City’s use of them will lead to failure and a less safe city. The Administration and all stakeholders must commit to solutions that prevent crime, reduce the excessive jail population, make our jails safer, and stop the revolving door. Among these are increased interventions that divert people to effective mental health treatment, as well as re-entry programs that provide job opportunities, supportive housing, and stability for people to return successfully to communities. The path forward is continuing towards the closure of Rikers by 2027, and investing in our communities and programs that create and sustain a safer city. This is the only plan that serves our city.”
“We are not on track to close Rikers by 2027 and the longer we hold off, the worse the dysfunction and dangerous conditions grow. The delays in the construction for the new jails and continued growth of more and more people detained month-after-month shows a lack of urgency around the hard but necessary work to close Rikers. Without serious effort, justice and safety will remain out of reach for people awaiting trial at Rikers,” said Comptroller Brad Lander.
"Rikers Island is in a constant state of crisis conditions, and every day it remains open, that crisis is allowed to continue. The city has a moral and legal mandate to close Rikers by 2027, and new delayed timelines announced by the administration undercut that effort as well as the urgency of combating the crisis. The people suffering today cannot wait through six more years of the status quo, and we need to do all in our power to decarcerate, expedite this closure, and create changes that will both alleviate suffering today and outlast any one facility,"said Public Advocate Jumaane Williams.
“These delays to closing Rikers are unacceptable and indefensible,” said Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso. “We are tired of the excuses and empty promises. We can’t wait for the next preventable death to happen at the hands of this City. We have a legal mandate and a moral responsibility to shut this facility down, and we will not take no for an answer. It’s important, however, that we do not forget that this is about more than closing one space and opening others; it’s about alternatives to incarceration. It’s about ensuring people are not jailed for being poor, or because they can’t access the services they need. It’s about providing the resources that create safe communities. While we keep pressure on the Mayor to close Rikers, we must demand that we fulfill our mandate to decarcerate now.”
City Council Member Lincoln Restler said, "Mayor Adams has made clear he has no intention to Close Rikers - the most notorious jail complex in the nation. We need the Adams administration to speed up construction timelines and start investing in community solutions to safely reduce the incarcerated population on Rikers Island. Rikers must close by 2027."
“New York City is required by law to close Rikers by 2027, and as the Chair of the Committee on Criminal Justice, I remain committed to holding the City accountable to that deadline. The City has both a moral and legal obligation to close all facilities on Rikers Island and through work with people with lived experience, advocates, and the Lippman Commission, the City Council put forward a reasonable path forward for closing Rikers. We must reduce our reliance on criminalization and punishment, and rebuild our society to center humanity and provide opportunity to all, particularly historically marginalized communities. We deserve a safe city, and closing Rikers is part of that,” said Council Member Carlina Rivera, Chair of the Council Committee on Criminal Justice. “Any borough-based jail contract considered by the mayoral administration must align with the mandated closure set by the Council for August 2027, and we will meet this matter with the urgency it deserves.”
“Ensuring that Rikers is closed in a timely fashion will make headway on the journey to healing the wounds of our community,” said Council Member Kevin C. Riley. “The ongoing disparity at Rikers is a pressing issue, especially plaguing our Black and Brown men who overpopulate the facility. On my many visits, I have had the opportunity to speak with detainees and officers on their experiences and resolutions must be made with stakeholders from all sides. We must provide alternatives to incarceration and the first step is closing Rikers. Action is needed now to address the systemic racism in our infrastructure that robs Black and Brown men that look like myself to reach their highest potential.”
"I urge the administration to take proactive steps towards achieving the 2027 deadline for closing Rikers. We can't wait until the last minute and this Council will not entertain a Plan B," said Council Member Sandy Nurse. "The city is also currently out of compliance with the law and must continue to move parcels of land from the DOC to DCAS every six months; we have already missed two deadlines and this June will mark the third. It's time to follow the law and take action to close Rikers."
City Council Member Keith Powers said, “Rikers has a well-documented history of abuse and inhumane conditions that are not reflective of New York City. The City Council voted nearly 4 years ago to close the complex by 2027 and it’s imperative that Mayor Adams works with us to meet this reasonable deadline. Together, we can safely close Rikers and fulfill a promise that was made – and supported – by New Yorkers.”
“Rikers Island hosts a situation that is nothing short of a humanitarian crisis. Unspeakable cruelty is exacted against detainees each day, resulting in suffering and death. The detainees, most of whom are not convicted of a crime, must have their human rights respected – a basic obligation this facility has failed to fulfill. The persistent conditions on the island have proven that the entire complex needs to close as a top priority for New York City, both ethically and pragmatically. This cannot wait any longer,” said City Council Member Chi Ossé.
“We cannot wait until 2029 for the city to close Rikers Island and end the warehousing of pretrial detainees and those who can’t post bail. Our city needs to promote humanity and respect in our justice system and close Rikers by 2027. 19 people needlessly died last year while awaiting trial due to the horrific and inhumane conditions at Rikers Island jails. As contracts chair, I’ll continue to provide oversight to find out why the Administration cannot fulfill their legal and moral obligations,” said City Council Member Julie Won.
“The dysfunction at Rikers Island is not new and this crisis continues to worsen. People are getting hurt, and we are losing lives behind those walls. Last year’s death rate was the highest in a decade. We cannot afford to delay and we must stay on track to close Rikers on the timeline we committed to and end this humanitarian crisis,” said Council Member Carmen De La Rosa.
Darren Mack, Co-Director of Freedom Agenda said, “Rikers should have been closed decades ago, and this administration should be exercising leadership to find every way possible to do it faster. Instead, they’re introducing delays and threatening the legally mandated closure deadline. The Mayor says he wants to “get stuff done”? Then get those “upstream” investments made, get people the support and treatment they need, get people to court, get the jail population down, get the replacement borough-based facilities built, and get Rikers closed. How many more lives is this mayor willing to see lost or forever damaged in that hellhole?”
Tracie Gardner, Senior Vice President of Legal Action Center said, "We must remain committed to the reality that the only way to close Rikers is to continue to push for the immediate and steadfast implementation of the borough based jail plan. Thousands of predominantly Black and brown New Yorkers held in Rikers each year are subject to some of the most unfathomably inhumane conditions that amount to an ongoing human rights crisis. This is all while the majority of people held on the island are pretrial. We are distressed by the delays in construction that disrupt the timely closure of Rikers. We would like to remind the Mayor that any delay in closure is, in fact, as illegal as it is inhumane.”
Jennifer J. Parish, Director of Criminal Justice Advocacy, Urban Justice Center Mental Health Project, said, “Closing Rikers Island should be expedited, not delayed. Every day the decrepit jails on Rikers remain open, people suffer. More than half of the people in the city jails have been diagnosed with mental health treatment needs, and about one thousand of them have a serious mental health challenge. Decarcerating this population should be a top priority given the damage that conditions at Rikers – brutality, indifference, isolation, and inadequate access to health care – inflict on people with mental health concerns.
Sharon White-Harrigan, Executive Director of the Women’s Community Justice Association said “The swift closure of Rikers Island is part of wellness and safety for the people as we talk about healing justice. We have concrete plans and solutions to decarcerate, divert and reinvest the money back into our communities. Currently, there are over 360 women and gender expansive people on Rikers Island that can utilize community-based alternatives and resources. Let’s get it done!”
Reverend Wendy Calderon-Payne, Executive Director, Urban Youth Alliance (BronxConnect) said, “Timely completion of the Borough Based Jails is a necessary next step towards closing Rikers, and pushing NYC towards a more functional and rehabilitative justice system. While this announcement shows some progress, the completion deadline is troubling and antithetical to Mayor Adams “get stuff done” mantra. Why give a contractor 2 more years when we see buildings pop up around us in record time? Let’s get this done Mayor Adams. We can be an example of redemptive justice and safety for all!”
Kandra Clark, Vice President of Policy & Strategy at Exodus Transitional Community, a preventative, reentry and advocacy organization, said “We are at a critical point in our history where community safety can be actualized. For far too long, our community members have languished in uninhabitable environments, while experiencing significant trauma. We have the solutions to create transformational change; we need the political will power to make that change a reality. We need to move forward with the borough-based jail plan and closing Rikers on schedule, and we must also invest in alternatives-to-incarceration, mental health support services and housing.”
Andre Ward, Associate Vice President of the David Rothenberg Center for Public Policy at the Fortune Society, said: “The closure of Rikers Island must not be delayed as thousands of people remain exposed to trauma resulting from inhumane conditions directly resulting from unstaffed posts and decades of neglect and indifference. The work to ensure that the borough-based jails are open prior to the August 2027 closure of Rikers cannot be interrupted. In addition, as a City, we must continue to and increase our investments in community-based resources and services that have been proven to prevent incarceration and re-incarceration, and that also empower human beings so they can live a life of contribution.”
Reverend Dr. Chloe Breyer, Executive Director of the The Interfaith Center of New York, "We reaffirm our commitment to the existing timeline for the building of borough-based jails and closing of Rikers Island by 2027. Too many people have died on Rikers Island and the inhumanity on display there, long part of the jail complex’s culture, threatens long-term public safety in NYC. Whether administering swifter pre-trial justice, adding additional promised beds for the 50% on Rikers with mental illness, or moving on time-sensitive building contracts like this one, we as a city need to get the job done."
Daniele Gerard, a senior staff attorney at Children’s Rights, a member of the Jails Action Coalition, said, “Rikers must close on schedule. The hundreds of young adults on the Island have been going without showers or food and are left in their cells for hours on end without recreation, programming, or medical and mental health services. Detention is no place for youth who could be more humanely and effectively served, at greatly reduced cost, in their communities. If the mayor is serious about implementing targeted, evidence-based solutions to the Rikers crisis and ensuring that pretrial detainees receive speedy trials, as he mentioned in his State of the City speech, there is no time like the present to begin decarceration to ensure Rikers closes in accordance with the law.”
Anna Pastoressa, member of Freedom Agenda, said, “It is imperative for Mayor Adams to show how he gets Rikers Island closed by his direct actions and not just by his words. I started advocating to close Rikers in 2016 when my son was completing 6 hellish years waiting for a trial there. The law was passed in 2019 that Rikers island must be closed by 2027. Years are going by, more damage is being done to people and communities, and we cannot delay it any longer. It is imperative to achieve the closure of rikers by starting with decarceration as well as the demolition of the existing borough jails and construction of the replacement borough facilities. As Mayor Adams says: Let's get things done!”
Grace Ortez, member of Freedom Agenda said, “In this moment in which discourse regarding public safety in NYC dominates headlines, the city's delays in ensuring the closure of Rikers Island are an affront to countless Black and Brown New Yorkers for whom Rikers has stood as a destabilizing, destructive force to the communities we work tirelessly to build. We are the ones constantly cleaning up after the city's failed investments in the carceral system which have torn the social fabric of our communities, and have impacted families on a multi-generational scale. Our work in the community leads to positive outcomes and rather than taking our lead, the city’s innaction on the closure of Rikers has made it our biggest obstruction to progress. As both a restorative justice practitioner and a survivor of childhood violence myself, I need the Adams administration to be proactive in keeping us safe by investing in restorative approaches - and turning the page on Rikers Island for good.”
Darío Peña, member of Freedom Agenda said, “Rikers has a culture of violence and corruption that spans decades. This culture has pervaded not only the detainees at Rikers, but the staff, which makes this a crisis because it promotes the inhumane conditions that led to the slashing and stabbings of staff and detainees, as well as the deaths of so many detainees, as have only recently been emphasized, especially with the much publicized death of Kalief Browder after his experience at Rikers. The only logical solution was already decided by a panel of respected city officials, which is to close Rikers. The exorbitant amount of tax-payer money spent on incarceration throughout the last couple of decades in this period of mass incarceration has shown society that this is a failed strategy. Crime and the reasons for incarceration have not been reduced as a result, therefore another approach is necessary. Legislation like Treatment Not Jail proposes a viable alternative to the insane and unsustainable city spending to keep people incarcerated, at a reduced cost. Addressing the issues that cause the traumas that lead to criminal behavior in concentrated underserved sectors of our city would be a more sustainable and humane use of resources. Why is the Mayor so intent on maintaining such a costly and proven failed attempt at public safety?”
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