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NYC officials to discuss what's next for Rikers Island jails at City Council hearing
By
Brittany Kriegstein
Published Apr 16, 2025
Modified Apr 16, 2025
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Leonardo Munoz / VIEWpress via Getty Images
By
Brittany Kriegstein
Published Apr 16, 2025
Modified Apr 16, 2025
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New York City councilmembers are set to hold a hearing Wednesday on a new path forward for closing the notorious Rikers Island jail complex, less than a month after an independent commission concluded the city won’t meet the legally mandated deadline in 2027.
The City Council’s criminal justice committee will discuss the commission’s report, which found the city is well behind schedule in building four borough-based jails to replace Rikers. The commission, which was revived in 2023 by Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, recommended a variety of measures to expedite construction, reduce the existing jail population and expand psychiatric beds for detainees with serious mental health issues, among other steps. There were more than 7,200 people in city jails as of this week, and the vast majority at Rikers were awaiting trial, according to the nonprofit Vera Institute.
Officials expected to testify at the hearing include Deanna Logan, who directs the Mayor's Office of Criminal Justice, and others from the Department of Design and Construction and Department of Correction, which manages Rikers. Several councilmembers, including committee chair Sandy Nurse, rallied outside City Hall before the hearing to outline actions they said officials need to take to close the complex.
So far this year, "five people have died in city custody, adding to the already immense pain and suffering caused by our city’s carceral system," Nurse said in a written statement, citing a recent string of detainee deaths. "Remarkably, these deaths have not moved Mayor [Eric] Adams to action, who continues to drag his feet on a clear legal obligation to scale down operations at Rikers."
Adams' office did not immediately comment Wednesday morning.
The committee will also consider several bills aligned with the panel’s recommendations, like a proposal to expand eligibility for supportive housing for certain detainees and another to boost detainees’ ability to review evidence in their cases. A third bill would require the mayor’s office to create a “holistic assessment” program for arrestees’ health and safety needs. Rikers is the second-largest psychiatric facility in the country, with most people incarcerated there having a mental illness and many cycling in and out of homelessness, according to the commission.
Additional measures would call for more oversight of the closure plans, including by mandating a special office to coordinate the effort and requiring the Department of Correction to study inefficiencies in its early-release program. The hearing was scheduled to begin at noon in the City Council chambers.
On Tuesday, the Council sued Adams’ administration to block an executive order allowing federal law enforcement authorities, including immigration agents, to have offices on Rikers Island for the first time in more than a decade. The administration has defended the move as a way to fight crime by alleged members of international gangs.
This story has been updated with additional information.
Tagged
new york city
Rikers Island
public safety
Politics
Brittany Kriegstein
Brittany Kriegstein covers all breaking news around New York City, with a focus on crime and gun violence. Got a tip? Email Brittany at [email protected].
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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