The Unbiased Rikers Fee, a collective tasked with inspecting the town’s plan to shut Rikers Island, has unveiled a crucial blueprint for reform and closure of the notorious jail complicated that has lengthy been characterised by unsafe circumstances, excessive operational prices, violence and systemic dysfunction.
The excellent report, “A Path Forward: The Blueprint to Close Rikers,” outlines a roadmap for shutting down the power by the legally mandated deadline of August 2027. Nonetheless, the report acknowledges substantial challenges that might jeopardize this timeline.
With 61 reported deaths of incarcerated people on Rikers since 2020, the IRC describes an pressing want for reform. In line with the report, the numerous violence and neglect skilled by each inmates and workers have made the jails a humanitarian disaster and a substantial danger to public security.
Their report urges towards the necessity for inmate discount, safe remedy beds, borough-based jail building and higher psychological well being assets.File picture.
Jonathan Lippman, chair of the Fee and former Chief Decide of New York, calls the jail a failure for neglecting to prioritize security.
“For decades, Rikers has been marked by dysfunction, violence, and neglect—failing not only incarcerated people, but the staff and the entire city,” Lippman mentioned in a press release. “Our blueprint lays out a clear path for Rikers to be closed safely, as is required by law.”
The report highlights a number of crucial statistics that replicate the dire state of Rikers. The ability, with an annual value of roughly $400,000 per incarcerated particular person, can be famous to be the second-largest psychiatric facility in america, housing a staggering 57% of people who’ve a psychological sickness. Amongst these, 83% of the ladies incarcerated have reported psychological well being points, and 1,400 people, roughly 21%, are recognized as having severe psychological sickness.
In line with the fee’s report, 85% of uniformed workers at Rikers are Black or Latino, paralleling the statistics of the incarcerated inhabitants, the place 88% belong to those racial demographics. The groups mentioned this knowledge reiterates the necessity for a reformed, borough-based system that may be simpler and cost-efficient, with projected financial savings of over $2 billion per 12 months as soon as operational.
The blueprint additionally addresses the urgent situation of the 2027 closure deadline. Whereas the completion of the closure plan is already delayed, the fee emphasizes that the legislation mandating the closure should stay in impact till a coherent and actionable plan is adopted.
“Rikers will not close by 2027 due to delays and challenges that extend beyond the pandemic and crime rates,” the report mentioned.
Blaming Metropolis Corridor
Members of Katal Heart, a city-based group identified for advocating for fairness, well being, and justice, say the IRC report was a very long time coming. They declare metropolis leaders, together with Mayor Eric Adams and Speaker of the New York Metropolis Council Adrienne Adams, who tasked the IRC with creating the report, didn’t prioritize it, permitting circumstances at Rikers to worsen.
“When I was sent to Rikers, I remember being terrified for my life. I don’t think anything can prepare you for the violence and life-threatening conditions found there. I am grateful to have made it out alive,” Lah Franklin, a member of the Katal Heart, mentioned in a press release. “It is unconscionable that we have a mayor who refuses to care for our communities. Instead of working to shut down Rikers Island, he has been doing the complete opposite. This mayor is doing everything he can to criminalize communities of color and keep Rikers open.”
Franklin mentioned in the entire plans proposed within the IRC report, the fee failed to spotlight what the Katal Heart believes is an impediment to getting Rikers shut down: mayoral management.
“Families are suffering, and real human lives have been lost. We demand accountability, and we need answers. This is not the time for independent institutions to provide political cover for the mayor. This is the time to hold him accountable for protecting NYC communities and shutting down Rikers,” Franklin mentioned.
In response, Mayor Eric Adams mentioned in a press release to New York News Metro that the timetable to shut Rikers by 2027 was by no means “realistic.”
“We are glad that the Lippman Commission is finally recognizing what we have been sounding the alarm on for years — the plan for Rikers was flawed and did not offer a realistic timeline,” the mayor mentioned. “Knowing that 2027 did not provide enough time to close Rikers and open new borough-based jails, we have been proactive in addressing the humanitarian conditions at the complex by investing hundreds of millions of dollars into the historically neglected Department of Correction — particularly to improve conditions for incarcerated women, youth, and people experiencing mental health issues. We have also found ways to build the borough-based jails faster and as cost-efficiently as possible, despite pandemic-era construction issues that have impacted the projects. But, we cannot continue do this alone. It is critical that the city is able to unlock additional emergency capital funds — which the law passed by the City Council and the previous administration currently prohibits us from doing — to ensure that we can continue to provide adequate services to both staff and people in our charge.”
Inside the framework of its suggestions, the IRC report advocates for the quick acceleration of borough jail building and the opening of safe remedy beds.
In line with statistics, over 100 safe remedy beds at Bellevue Hospital lie unused as a result of lack of assigning obligatory workers. This deficit usually leaves many inmates caught in Rikers slightly than receiving the suitable remedy.
The suggestions additional search a major discount of the jail inhabitants, transferring from the lately reported estimate of over 6,000 inmates right down to 4,500 or fewer people. Notably, reforms just like the New York State Workplace of Court docket Administration’s latest initiatives are anticipated to lower the jail inhabitants by 1,200 to 1,600 folks inside three to 5 years, and probably even as much as 2,000.
To handle reoffending and psychological well being points, the fee suggests the implementation of community-based initiatives that would come with increasing pretrial digital monitoring and enhancing entry to psychological well being providers.File picture courtesy of Getty Photographs.
“This common-sense plan keeps the wishes of crime victims front and center,” Zachary Katznelson, govt director of the fee, mentioned.
Highlighting findings from a ballot of over 1,200 crime victims in New York Metropolis, Katznelson reported that victims overwhelmingly help the relocation of people with psychological diseases to safe remedy services slightly than jails and advocate for expedited trials.
“Most victims told us the justice system failed to meet their needs or provide them with proper support. This blueprint can help change that and should be implemented immediately,” he mentioned.
The report additionally proposes filling important gaps in present providers to cut back reoffending, together with investments in supportive housing and enhanced psychological well being remedy services. It requires increasing the borough system’s capability to five,000 beds by opening safe forensic psychiatric remedy services outdoors the jails whereas prioritizing phased investments in neighborhood infrastructure.
Members of the fee urged for a whole overhaul of DOC operations to enhance security and accountability, guaranteeing that up to date issues usually are not perpetuated inside the borough-based jails.
Amid these suggestions, the coalition emphasizes the significance of getting devoted management to supervise the transition, proposing the institution of two new senior positions: a full-time level individual at Metropolis Corridor tasked solely with the closure of Rikers, and one other at DOC to organize the division for the transition to the brand new services.
Trying forward, the staff advocates for remodeling Rikers Island into “Renewable Rikers”—a hub for important environmental infrastructure, thereby creating financial and ecological advantages for the Metropolis.
“With strong leadership by New York’s current and future officeholders, and the urgency that has been sorely missing, we can end the stain of Rikers forever,” Lippman mentioned.
