Plan to close notorious Rikers jail complex by 2026 approved [View all]

[Eugene]

Source: Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — New York City lawmakers voted Thursday to close the notorious Rikers Island jail complex, which has become synonymous with violence and neglect, and replace it with four smaller jails intended to be more modern and humane.

The City Council voted 36-13 to replace the complex with four smaller jails located closer to the city’s main courthouses in Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx and Queens.

Rikers is scheduled to shutter by 2026, ending a decadeslong run as one of the world’s largest jails.

“Rikers island is a symbol of brutality and inhumanity and it is time for us to once and for all close Rikers Island,” said City Council Speaker Corey Johnson, a Democrat who shepherded the plan through the Council. “As a city we must do everything we can to move away from the failed policies of mass incarceration.”

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By KAREN MATTHEWS
17 minutes ago

Read more: https://apnews.com/6053d86faae64edbb315510e319c5a81