STATEMENT FROM CAMPAIGN TO CLOSE RIKERS ON THE INDEPENDENT RIKERS COMMISSION 2.0’S REPORT

Yesterday, March 19, the Independent Rikers Commission, convened by City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams released its recommendations on how New York City should move forward to achieve the closure of Rikers. In response, the Campaign to Close Rikers issued the following statement: 

“Rikers should have been closed long ago. The report released today by the Independent Rikers Commission reinforces the calls our campaign has made for investment in housing, quality mental health care, and other resources that will not only shrink the jail population but make our communities healthier and safer. These are not “pie in the sky” recommendations, but rather evidence-based policies and programs that can safely decarcerate while investing in providing community-based supports for New Yorkers struggling with mental illness, substance use, trauma, and poverty. So far, Mayor Adams has chosen the opposite.  As we continue to review the report’s recommendations, one thing is clear - there is no time like now for Mayor Adams to start delivering on his promise to ‘close the pipelines that feed Rikers,’ and to take concrete action to deliver on the legal and moral obligation to finally remove this stain from our city.”

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