Mayor, City Council Announce Agreement To Close Rikers By 2026
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – New York City is one step closer to closing the Rikers Island jail.
Mayor Bill de Blasio and City Council Speaker Corey Johnson announced an agreement Thursday to shutter the jail by 2026.
The mayor has proposed a $8.7 billion plan to replace the complex with four smaller jails in Boerum Hill, Kew Gardens, Lower Manhattan and Mott Haven.
"We promised to close Riker's Island, and we're making good on that promise. We're making our commitment ironclad and ensuring no future administration can reverse all the progress we've made," de Blasio said in a statement. "Mass incarceration did not begin in New York City, but it will end here."
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A City Council committee voted to designate Rikers Island as a public place.
"This process will require Rikers Island to close as a correctional facility by 2026, and shows our deep commitment to moving away from the failed policies of mass incarceration," Johnson said in a statement. "I am proud of the Council's Land Use Committee for taking this meaningful step and thank Mayor de Blasio and the Department of City Planning for working with us to begin this important process."
The mayor's plan has been met with pushback from communities where the new jails would be located.