NEW YORK CITY — As New York City’s long-delayed plan to close Rikers Island faces mounting delays and political opposition, the future of the troubled jail complex and Mayor Mamdani’s role in advancing long-promised reforms are under renewed scrutiny, The Marshall Project reports.
According to The Marshall Project, Rikers Island has been marred for years by “violence, overcrowding, neglect and poor medical care.” However, those concerns have only been exacerbated by a recent surge in the jail population. The complex currently holds nearly 7,000 people, the most since before the pandemic.
The unsafe conditions do not exist in isolation, The Marshall Project reports. Instead, they have had deadly consequences for those incarcerated there. Since 2022, there have been 30 deaths at Rikers, with at least 14 of those occurring last year.
As a result, a mandate was issued to close the jail complex and move people to smaller jails built across four boroughs by 2027. The plan was originally supported by former Mayor Eric Adams in 2019; however, he publicly reconsidered it during his reelection campaign in 2025.
City Council member Sandy Nurse said the reconsideration was an attempt to increase his support among Trump-supporting Republicans. She believes the objection to relocating people and placing them in borough-based facilities “comes from a place of anti-Blackness, racism and just wanting to throw people away and never see them again.”
Now, because of Adams’ stalling, closing the jail and relocating people by 2027 does not appear feasible. Instead, the plan is expected to be completed by 2032. However, some activists remain optimistic. As Nurse said, “It seems far away, but it’s very close.”
Mamdani, meanwhile, has taken steps both to reform the city’s jail system and to address the needs of formerly incarcerated individuals. Since his inauguration, he has issued an executive order intended to end solitary confinement in city jails, announced a housing project on a hospital campus for people returning from incarceration with chronic physical and mental health issues, and appointed a new commissioner of the New York City Department of Correction, The Marshall Project reports.
The commissioner, Stanley Richards, was formerly incarcerated at Rikers. Since his release, he has “dedicated his life to reentry programs, programs inside the jails, healing practices, mentoring, and really focused on reducing recidivism,” Nurse explained.
Still, not everyone believes the reforms go far enough. According to Darren Mack, who was incarcerated at Rikers in the 1990s and now leads the decarceration advocacy group Freedom Agenda, “Rikers can’t be fixed or reformed, and the only solution is closure.” Mack said he is cautiously optimistic about Mamdani’s actions thus far.
However, not all key figures in the city’s criminal justice system share that view. Benny Boscio, president of the Correction Officers’ Benevolent Association, is opposed to closing Rikers, calling the plan “flawed,” because the new jails would have a much lower capacity than the number of people currently incarcerated.
The Correction Officers’ Benevolent Association represents 15,000 active and retired correction officers, leading advocates to question whether the union supports keeping Rikers open because more beds translate into more correction jobs.
Meanwhile, although most advocates believe closing Rikers is a necessary first step, they also strongly support mental health and housing initiatives that could reduce the number of people the city imprisons. According to Mary Lynne Werlwas, director of The Legal Aid Society’s Prisoners’ Rights Project, “It’s not enough to say don’t invest in jail.”
Instead, Werlwas supports “affirmative investment in things that keep our communities safe.” This includes the housing and mental health services that Mamdani has also endorsed.
On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Mamdani announced he would back Just Home, a housing project in the Bronx. Just Home provides housing for formerly incarcerated people with medical needs by offering 83 rent-controlled apartments along with specialized onsite services.
“My sincere belief is that soon Just Home will be seen as clear evidence of New York’s commitment to a new era where every one of our neighbours — even those who’ve made mistakes in the past — is entitled to dignity, safety and a home they can call their own,” he said.
As the timeline for closure shifts, officials and advocates continue to debate the best path forward and the impact of Mamdani’s actions. However, as Werlwas emphasized, the ultimate need for investment in community-based care and support remains paramount, stating, “And it’s absolutely essential that we find ways to take care of people, because incarceration is an expensive and dangerous way to do so.”
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