New Yorkers Discuss Closing City's Infamous Rikers Island Jail

New Yorkers Discuss Closing City’s Infamous Rikers Island Jail

New York City Council speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito had proposed closing the jail complex on the 400-acre Rikers Island. She believes the city would be better served by smaller neighborhood jails. The city currently houses about 10,000 inmates, nearly 8,000 of them at Rikers. The complex is in very poor condition, has been the scene of much violence, and is now under federal oversight because of the problems there.

Governor Andrew Cuomo expressed his support for the speaker’s idea. Governor Cuomo has a record of criminal justice reform, closing thirteen state prisons in the past year; however, the state government has no real position in the oversight of county jails.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has spoken against the proposal. He called it a “noble proposal” but concluded that it would be too expensive. He noted that it is his job to save the taxpayers’ money.

The County Council is creating an independent commission to study the feasibility of closing Rikers. This would necessitate decreasing the jail population by about half. The commission has been given a year to work. The process would have to include bail and summons reform. Currently, offenders spend too much time in jail while they are waiting for trial. This is a main reason for the huge number of inmates in the city jails.

If Rikers closes, some officials fear that residents will fight the construction of jails in their neighborhoods. Currently, other than Rikers Island, there are only city jails in Lower Manhattan and Downtown Brooklyn, along with a facility on a floating barge in the East River.

Experts have noted that closing the jail on Rikers is not a new idea, but they are encouraged by the recent talk of politicians, since they are the ones with the power to actually do something.