Members of public protesting proposed Manhattan facility. Image Credit: John McCarten/City Council

Council received extensive testimony and differing perspectives on Borough Based Jails. On September 5, 2019, City Council’s Subcommittee on Landmarks, Public Siting and Maritime Uses held a public hearing regarding the City’s application to close Rikers Island and create a Borough Based Jail System. The proposed sites are 124-125 White Street in Manhattan, 745 East 141^St Street in the Bronx, 126-02 82^nd Avenue in Queens and at 275 Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn.

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Rikers Island. Image credit: U.S. Geological Survey, conversion to PNG by uploader (Herr Satz).

New borough-based detention facilities will provide on-site support services. On August 15, 2018, the De Blasio administration announced plans for four modern, community-based jails to replace the embattled Rikers Island detention facilities. In 2017, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced plans to close Rikers Island. (read more…)

Efforts to reduce violence at Rikers begin to show success. On September 19, 2017, the Department of Corrections reported that, since 2014, Corrections has seen a significant drop in serious assaults on staff, serious injury to inmates, and use of force. (read more…)