Mayor Adams Must Act Now to Close Rikers

Mayor Eric Adams says over and over again that he wants to “close the pipeline that feeds Rikers Island,” and that he will follow the law that says Rikers must close by August 31, 2027. But Mayor Adams’s actions don’t match his words:  

• The mayor has pursued massive cuts to crucial social services like education, housing and treatment, year after year, while leaving the budget for Rikers largely untouched.
• Over 1,200 people in NYC jails are diagnosed with a serious mental illness, an increase of more than 44% since Mayor Adams took office. Over 30 people have died on Rikers from suicide, overdose, and medical neglect under his administration. 
• 90% of people held at Rikers have not been convicted – they are awaiting trial. Many are incarcerated only because they cannot afford to pay their bail amount. Over 1,500 people have been awaiting trial on Rikers for more than a year.
• Mayor Adams has proposed adding hundreds of beds to the designs for the borough jails, including tripling beds for women. And despite the law mandating Rikers’ closure in 2027, the construction contracts for the new facilities in Brooklyn, the Bronx, and Queens have completion dates ranging from 2029 to 2031. 

Mayor Adams must follow the law. He must protect the human rights of all New Yorkers by reducing incarceration TODAY, improving safety in our city and in the jails, and advancing the closure of Rikers