Where does the next NYC mayor stand on the future of Rikers Island?

Rikers Island must be shut down by 2027, according to a city law enacted during the de Blasio Adminstration in 2019. However, those running this November to be the next NYC mayor aren’t so sure that deadline will be met.

The four mayoral candidates expressed concern over Rikers Island, but also doubted its ability to fulfill the closure mandate due in 2027, about 18 months after the new term begins on Jan. 1, 2026. All but one of them think the correctional facility should be permanently shuttered; Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa said he would seek to keep it open and challenge the law requiring its closure.

A city law mandates closing Rikers Island by 2027 and replacing the penitentiary with four smaller, borough-based jails, although it’s not clear whether that will occur. The community jail plan has been met with heavy resistance from local residents, and just two of the sites are presently under construction.

Meanwhile, the next mayor’s ability to manage Rikers Island will be under even more scrutiny than their predecessors.




https://www.amny.com/news/nyc-mayors-race-rikers-island-future/