In September, community groups, elected officials and advocacy groups marched through Astoria to demand that Mayor Bill de Blasio close the jail, and now the city has announced that its plans to expand it have been put on hold.
Plans for the new 1,489-bed jail were put in place during the Bloomberg administration in 2013, but when de Blasio took office, the money allocated for the jail was “rolled” over to the 2015 Executive Budget. Although the city broke ground on the new facility in December 2013, the plans were put on hold to reassess the usefulness of the facility, the Village Voice reported.
This past October, de Blasio said the new jail would resume construction and be ready by 2021. However, at a City Council Fire and Criminal Justice Services Committee hearing on Monday, Nov. 14, Corrections Commissioner Joseph Ponte said the movement to close Rikers Island has put expansion plans on hold.
“Planning work continues but construction remains halted while the administration continues to refine its plan for the site to reflect the latest in correctional design and programmatic use,” a spokesperson for de Blasio said in a statement. “As we are continually working to increase programming and improve mental health services in our jails, we want to ensure that any new facility is equipped for these services and others. It is crucial that we consider the design of this facility within the context of raising standards in all of our facilities.”
Glenn Martin, founder of JustLeadershipUSA, said his group is glad to see that the #CloseRikers campaign has made an impact. His organization aims to cut the country’s correctional population in half by 2030.
“We applaud the Department of Corrections commissioner for listening to the #CLOSErikers campaign and our many allies in demanding that Rikers Island be closed,” said Martin.
According to recent statistics, 89 percent of inmates were people of color, eight out of 10 were pre-trail detainees and 40 percent were diagnosed with a mental illness. About 77,000 people cycle through the jail each year.
“This irresponsible detainment leads to severe mass incarceration, the abandonment of our citizens’ rights to a speedy trial, and a culture of abuse and violence,” Martin added. “New York City must do better.”
The new facility was projected to cost $596.4 million, the city’s Independent Budget Office estimated. According to a 2015 study by the Vera Institute of Justice, detaining a person at Rikers Island for one year costs the city $209,000.
“Rikers Island is plagued by systemic failures, and despite reforms and significant investment, the culture of violence continues to spike,” said Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley, the chair of the council’s Fire and Criminal Justice Services Committee. “The whole system must be turned upside down, including fast-tracking an improved housing plan.”
Councilman Daniel Dromm, who represents Jackson Heights and parts of Elmhurst and Corona, said he thinks the jail should be closed down completely.
“The Island is rotten to its core, and no new correctional facility should ever be built there,” he said. “We must immediately reduce the number of people being held there and work together to create a fairer criminal justice system.”
Several elected officials have called for the complete shutdown of the jail including Governor Andrew Cuomo, Comptroller Scott Stringer and City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito.
