Mayor Adams Must Act Now to Close Rikers

As a candidate, Mayor Eric Adams said he wanted to “close the pipeline that feeds Rikers Island,” but now he's trying to walk back that commitment.  

• The mayor has failed to adequately fund crucial services like education, housing and treatment, while increasing law enforcement funding.
• Over 1,200 people in NYC jails are diagnosed with a serious mental illness, and the death toll in DOC custody keeps rising. People have died from suicide, overdose, and medical neglect. 
• 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 1,000 people have been awaiting trial on Rikers for more than a year.

Mayor Adams 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.