Opinion
Opinion: Rikers Crisis Demands Federal Receiver
Gabriel Sayegh |
“A hearing in federal court could decide whether or not the city, under Mayor Eric Adams, will maintain control of Rikers. The feds should take over.”
CITY VIEWS: OPINIONS and ANALYSIS
Opinion: The Moral Imperative to Close Rikers Island
Rev. Chloe Breyer |
The city’s plan to close Rikers by 2027 is “not a perfect plan, but it’s the best plan thus far. And to do the bold and necessary thing—to see this plan through to completion—will take moral courage and political leadership.”
CITY VIEWS: OPINIONS and ANALYSIS
Opinion: Banning Solitary Confinement in NYC Jails is Long Overdue
Nancy Holt and Vaishali Talwar |
“Scientific research very clearly demonstrates that solitary confinement is torture. It also shows that it is counterproductive in achieving its goals because it often increases an inmate’s violent behavior.”
CITY VIEWS: OPINIONS and ANALYSIS
Opinion: Planned Borough-Based Jails are a Chance for a ‘Radically Different’ System
Stanley Richards |
“Concerns about the creation of ‘mega jails’ have hounded the plans to close the jails on Rikers Island since before the historic vote in 2019. It has served as a useful boogeyman for opponents of the Rikers closure plan, especially in Manhattan. It’s also a fabrication.”
Health and Environment
Opinion: For The Sake Of Public Health and Safety, Pass The Treatment Not Jail Act
Jeffrey Berman and Katherine LeGeros Bajuk |
“Treatment Not Jail offers the possibility of mental health treatment courts for all justice-involved New Yorkers and improves upon the prevailing model of drug courts.”
CITY VIEWS: OPINIONS and ANALYSIS
Opinion: Supportive Housing Can Help Break the Cycle Between Homelessness and Incarceration
Patricia Hernandez, Bea De la Torre, JoAnne Page and Cynthia Stuart |
“Deeply affordable housing with supportive services for this population has a proven track record of success and hits all the Adams administration’s goals of efficiency, smart government, addressing problems at their root, and getting things done.”
nyc jails
COVID-19 Surge at Rikers Begins to Decline, But Chaotic Conditions Persist
Jeanmarie Evelly |
The 7-day positivity rate in New York City jails was just over 19 percent on Sunday—down from nearly 37 percent just a week prior, the most recent data shows. But the humanitarian crisis at Rikers Island continues unabated, attorneys representing those behind bars testified Tuesday.
The Coronavirus Crisis
Renewed Calls for City to Reduce Jail Population as Omicron Cases Skyrocket
Jeanmarie Evelly |
The 7-day positivity rate for those in the jail system who’ve been tested for the virus was more than 29 percent on Thursday, compared to 23 percent of city residents overall. But those in custody are much less likely to be vaccinated: just 38.4 percent have received both shots, compared to 72.3 percent of all New Yorkers.
CITY VIEWS: OPINIONS and ANALYSIS
Opinion: Transferring Women and Trans NYers From Rikers to Prison is Not the Solution
Sharon White-Harrigan |
‘The number one priority for both city and state government right now must be to create a humane, accessible trauma-responsive center in New York City for the small population of women and gender-expansive people that will remain incarcerated.’
nyc jails
Advocates, Attorneys Push Back Against Plan to Transfer Women and Transgender People Off Rikers
Jeanmarie Evelly |
Beginning this week, the city and state will begin transferring around 230 detainees being held at the troubled New York City jail complex to state correctional facilities in Westchester, what they say will help ease the ongoing humanitarian crisis at Rikers. But advocates are worried about the impact of the move, some calling it rushed and misguided.
