In anticipation of the closing of the city’s largest jail, NYC government officials have released plans for new detention centers in four of the five boroughs. Mayor Bill de Blasio announced support of the project to close Rikers Island in April of 2018. He warned that the process won’t be an easy one and could take at least a decade to complete. To be successful, it will require a steady decrease in the city’s crime rate. Regardless, Mayor de Blasio has recently embraced the plan that he previously referred to as “unrealistic.”
What is Rikers Island?
The Rikers Island Correctional Facility is Greater New York City’s main jail complex located on a 413.17-acre island in the East River. Operating costs for the city’s main detention hub approaches $860 million each year. This breaks down to $209,000 per inmate for a year of incarceration. Many of the inmates are not convicts, but rather pre-trial detainees awaiting trial. The only inmates who serve a full sentence at Rikers Island are those serving short-term sentences. The jail has a long history of controversy, as well as a reputation as a corrupt institution.
Why is Rikers Island Closing?
Since it opened its doors in 1932, the Rikers Island jail was notorious for gangs, violence, and scandal. Located in the Bronx yet carrying a Queens zip code, Rikers is considered one of the most dangerous correctional facilities in the nation. The daily population averages about 10,000 inmates per day. In 2015 alone, there were reportedly 9,424 assaults.
Even though the overall crime rate in the city has been declining over the past several years, the sprawling facility is still rife with conflict. In response to the unmanageability of the now 400-acre jail complex, the NYC government has deemed it necessary to close Rikers in favor of several smaller jails scattered throughout the city.
Where will the Rikers Island Inmates go?
The plan to move inmates is outlined in the Office of the Mayor’s proposal. Entitled “Smaller, Safer, Fairer: A Roadmap to Closing Rikers Island,” the plan outlines measures to both reduce the number of incoming inmates and move those already incarcerated to smaller facilities.
The city plans to address several issues to reduce the number of people put in jail each year. These plans include:
- Providing judges with an updated risk assessment tool for reducing the number of low-risk people incarcerated
- Making it easier to pay bail
- Expanding diversion programs for low-to-medium risk defendants
- Replacing short jail sentences with programs to reduce the chance of repeat offenses
- Reducing the number of people incarcerated due to mental illness and substance abuse
- Finding ways to avoid placing women in city jails
- Reducing the number of State technical parole violators
- Speeding up case processing
- Expanded use of house arrest and electronic monitoring
These plans to significantly reduce the overall numbers of people incarcerated should allow for those that are incarcerated to be housed in smaller, safer, more modern jails. The city will build a new jail facility in the Bronx to house current Rikers Island inmates, as well as newly incarcerated perpetrators. Also, several existing jails adjacent to courthouses in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens will be updated to house more inmates. The revamped jails are to have better lighting, improved visibility for corrections officers, and other amenities to improve safety and security.
Public Reaction to the Plan to Close Rikers Island
The plan has received mixed reviews among the general NYC population. Some support the closing of the much-maligned detention facility. Others are against increasing the numbers of detainees housed in their communities. Critics also doubt that the number of inmates will be sufficiently reduced to facilitate the plan.
It is undisputed that Rikers Island is dangerous for inmates and staff alike. Allegations regarding abuse by corrections officers, lengthy detainment without a hearing, and mentally ill inmates mixed in with the general population continue to swirl.
However, the viability and timeframe for the plan to completely transition out of Rikers Island by 2027 may be overly ambitious. Already, the first planned closure, that of the George Motchan Detention Center on Rikers Island, has been put on hold. This facility was scheduled to close down sometime this summer. Even the director of the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice, Elizabeth Glazer, admitted that to make the plan a success the entire city would need to collectively rethink attitudes toward violent crimes.
Legal Help for Rikers Island Inmates
If you or a loved one face incarceration at Rikers Island, you need to seek top-quality legal advice fast. The law offices of Troy A Smith can provide a free, confidential consultation to help you build a solid defense for criminal charges including drug crime, military crime, assault and sex crimes, as well as homicide. Troy A. Smith represents clients in and around the New York City area, including Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, and Westchester County. Call today for your free initial consultation at (212) 537-4029.
