Voices of New York
Chinatown Jail Plan Halted By Court
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Although the city is set to appeal, members of Neighbors United Below Canal said they believe the final victory belongs to the community.
Closing Rikers
Rikers Closure Plan Passes: How We Got Here
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A look at City Limits’ coverage is far from a comprehensive rendering of the Rikers saga. But it does provide a sense of how long this argument has been going on, of the twists and turns it has taken, and of the many passionate viewpoints New Yorkers have about it.
CITY VIEWS: OPINIONS and ANALYSIS
Opinion: If it Approves Borough Jails, Council Must Invest in Mental Health
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‘This is the right time for the city to also make a bold commitment to support people with serious and persistent mental and behavioral health needs, in ways that will prevent contact (or further contact) with law enforcement at every possible juncture.’
Closing Rikers
Max & Murphy: Borough Jails Plan Enters Key Phase
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‘The plan that is in progress right now is the right plan, it’s one that is viable, it’s moving.’
Agenda 2019
Opinion: The Unending Urgency of Closing Rikers
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‘I’m reminded the cells on Rikers are so hot — that the walls sweat. There was no air. I had to lay on the floor naked, to suck a little bit of air from a slit on the floor, just to breathe.’
Agenda 2019
Deep Disagreements Ahead of Key Hearing on Bronx Jail Site
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The division between people who support the de Blasio administration plan to site a new jail in the Bronx to facilitate the closing of Rikers and those who don’t is about a lot more than the location.
CITY VIEWS: OPINIONS and ANALYSIS
Opinion: Closing Rikers and Building Borough Jails Would Create a More Humane NYC
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‘An impartial and fair assessment of this process can lead to only one conclusion: Closing Rikers will lead to a more just New York.’
Bronx
Most Opponents of Proposed Bronx Jail Want No Jails, Period
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While many Bronx politicians oppose the specific site the mayor has targeted for a new facility to partly replace Rikers Island, a vocal coalition of protesters is calling for an end to jails and policing as we know it.
ACS
The Kids are Leaving Rikers. Is it Really a New Day for Juvenile Justice in NYC?
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Not so fast. With Raise the Age going into effect this week, the city’s 16- and 17-year-olds in custody are just moving from one jail to another.
CITY VIEWS: OPINIONS and ANALYSIS
CityViews: Addressing Trauma is Key to Stopping Violence on Rikers and in the Jails That Will Replace It
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‘We must recognize that the culture of violence exists on Rikers Island – and will continue to exist in the new borough facilities that will be built – if concrete measures aren’t taken to directly address and effectively reduce the violence that exists currently.’
Justice
Video: Top Advocate Says Cuomo, De Blasio Both Can do More to Close Rikers
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In the wake of a state budget that whiffed on criminal justice reform, Gov. Cuomo has continued to chide Mayor de Blasio for sticking to a 10-year timeline for closing Rikers Island that the governor believes is too slow.
Brooklyn
Video: Council’s Lancman on Next Steps to Close Rikers
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Also: Marking the anniversary of Malcolm X’s death.
Justice
Council Committee Grills Mayor’s Team on Plan to Close Rikers
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While there’s a lot of discussion about where new jails might go, the heavier lift might be figuring out how to release enough violent-felony defendants to allow the city to move detainees off the island.
correction
CityViews: The Need for Correction Reform Goes Beyond Simply ‘Closing Rikers’
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A writer currently incarcerated on the island writes that re-establishing similarly flawed facilities elsewhere will displace the problems on Rikers, but won’t dispense with them.
CITY VIEWS: OPINIONS and ANALYSIS
CityViews: The Three Questions NYC Must Answer if it is Serious About Closing Rikers
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Whether the timeline is three years or 10, a former Correction captain lays out the issues facing policymakers, officers and inmates.
albanese
Video: Sal Albanese Outlines His Plan for Closing Rikers
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Albanese described a plan that revolved around thinning out the population on the island and then closing the facilities there that displayed the worst conditions.
Campaign 2017: The Policy Shop
Election 2017 Policy Brief: Closing Rikers
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There will be questions about this topic during the mayoral race. The bigger questions will be answered down the line.
Election 2017
De Blasio and the Difficult Task of Closing Rikers Island
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The biggest reason for the doubts about de Blasio’s devotion to closing Rikers is that doing so will require tough decisions in a policy area where this mayor faces unusually high expectations and especially acute risks.
bail
Brooklyn DA Hopefuls Stake Out Positions on Bail Reform, Key to Closing Rikers
By 
Theodore Hamm |
A point of contention among the candidates is how much the DA’s office is currently doing to limit the use of bail in cases involving alleged misdemeanors and nonviolent felonies.
arrests
CityViews: Lots of Talk About Closing Rikers, Not Enough About Shutting ‘Broken Windows’
By Theodore Hamm |
Amidst the splash created by Mayor de Blasio’s pledge to close Rikers, it’s somewhat surprising that there hasn’t been more attention to the future of broken-windows policing.