Rikers and city jails

“I next want to turn to the borough-based jails. There were minimal changes in the capital commitment plan for the new jail facilities.”

“Because we know the success of people returning home oftentimes hinges on a you know, a really good long-term stable mental health plan. Rikers continues to be the largest mental health provider, and it shouldn’t be.”

“With facilities operating around 92% capacity and ongoing staffing shortages, are we currently operating at a level that you’d consider safe both for officers and detainees?”

“I think we have to make maximum effort to make sure those populations that are coming from incarceration are being addressed.”

“We have corrections officers in the bakery at Rikers Island when we should have civilians that would cost a whole lot less for the City of New York and probably have higher retention as well.”

“What is the plan to ensure that the jails can handle the full capacity of the current system?”

“As you know, one of the prime drivers of the inflation of the Rikers population is the long delays and the extreme length of time criminal cases take to resolve.”

“I’m really encouraged by what you said about Rikers, the need to shut it down, the fact that it’s more costly to continue to feed Rikers than fund healthcare.”

“Today I am introducing Intro 1060, which takes a common-sense approach to making complaints about conditions in our city jails more transparent and easier to track.”