ONE YEAR BEFORE CLOSURE DEADLINE, SURVIVORS OF RIKERS AND ADVOCATES GATHER AT CITY HALL TO CELEBRATE PROGRESS AND CALL FOR SUSTAINED ACTION TO CLOSE RIKERS ISLAND
On August 31, 2026, one year before the legal deadline to Close Rikers, survivors of Rikers and impacted families held a Countdown to Closing Rikers Day of Action to call on Mayor Mamdani to take action to substantially reduce the number of people in jail. The event included an art installation, speakout and performances, press conference, and vigil, as well as a video booth and action table for community members to share ideas for how they want to see the money saved from closing Rikers reinvested in their communities.
Visuals included an art installation featuring work by illustrator Medar de la Cruz representing the 6,600 people currently detained on Rikers, banners and signs including a large countdown clock displaying the days until the legal deadline to Close Rikers, elected officials and others speaking, and a candlelight vigil in memory of the more than 80 people who have died in DOC custody or immediately after their release since NYC committed to closing Rikers Island.
In October 2019, after extensive community input, then-Mayor de Blasio and City Council approved and passed a plan to close Rikers Island. In February 2021, City Council enacted Local Laws 16, 17, and 31, collectively known as the Renewable Rikers Act, to provide for a phased transfer of the island from the Department of Correction (DOC) to the Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS) for future environmental uses by August 31, 2027. Progress stalled under former Mayor Eric Adams and the number of people detained in city jails rose, putting the plan to close Rikers behind schedule.
Since Mayor Mamdani assumed office in 2026, he's taken important steps toward closing Rikers, including closing three jail facilities at Rikers, opening the first of three outposted therapeutic housing units for the most medically vulnerable people in DOC custody, and making increased community investments in his first budget. So far, however, there has been little progress to reduce the number of people in jail, which is down just 3% from when Mayor Mamdani took office.
Freedom Agenda Co-Director Darren Mack said, “As we stand here exactly one year from the legal deadline to close Rikers, we want to celebrate the historic progress that has been made through the leadership of directly impacted people, with the support of a broad coalition. We also want to celebrate the progress we’ve seen in the past 8 months, under a Mayor who wants to work with us instead of against us. And, our City needs to do more. We are still sending too many people to Rikers, allowing them to languish there for too long, and failing to offer them the stability and support they need when they come home. Because of resistance and inaction from our last mayor, Rikers will not be completely closed by August 31 2027. But Mayor Mamdani can make sure that a year from today, there are substantially fewer people incarcerated, at least half of the jails on Rikers are closed, and we are firmly back on track to erase this stain on our City.”
“There is nothing just about the inhumane and unsafe conditions that continue at Rikers,” said Council Majority Leader Shaun Abreu. “Now, being exactly one year away from the legal deadline to close it, we must hold the city to account and ensure it is taking sustained action to meet that mandate.”
“Every New Yorker deserves to be treated with dignity and respect. That’s something this whole coalition has held to be true. Now, one year out from the deadline to close Rikers, we can visualize a better future for our communities. We just need to hold the line and ensure that this inhumane system is dismantled. I hold hope that public safety can become something that invests in the well-being of our neighbors and climate, rather than perpetuating harm. But I am devastated by every new account of a New Yorker dying in DOC custody. Everyone should join us in this fight to close Rikers, so we can create a better city for generations to come,” said Council Member Alexa Avilés.
“The day we fully close Rikers cannot come soon enough,” said Council Member Lincoln Restler. “The city must do everything it can to prioritize safely moving people off Rikers Island, expanding access to supportive and affordable housing, expediting case processing, investing in alternatives to incarceration, mental health treatment and supervised release. Closing Rikers is a moral imperative that must come as quickly as humanly possible.”
“The rising rate of women's incarceration in New York City is concerning. Over the past five years, there has been a 67% increase in the number of women incarcerated at Rikers Island, Rose M. Singer Center (Rosie’s),” said Luisa H. Taveras, Interim CEO, Women’s Prison Association (WPA). “On any given day, approximately 450 women are locked up at Rosie’s. About 85% of these women are being held pre-trial, meaning they have not yet been convicted of any crime. Many of them have unmet mental health needs, histories of trauma, housing instability, a lack of employment, and are often mothers or primary caregivers. The racial disparities are also alarming. At WPA, 85% of the women we serve are Black or Latinx. The City needs to invest more in alternatives to incarceration that address these challenges, while reducing funds for ineffective carceral policies that further traumatize these women and strip families and communities of essential resources. Closing Rosie’s and Rikers would be a significant step in the right direction.”
Reverend Wendy Calderon-Payne, Executive Director, Urban Youth Alliance (BronxConnect) said, “With our city being one year out from the legal deadline to the closure of Rikers we need to make the key choice between effectiveness and convenience. The success of Alternative to Incarceration programming has proven crucial to the city as well the individuals we serve. With over 90% of participants who complete BronxConnect programming remaining unarrested this speaks to the effectiveness of addressing the whole person. ATI & ATD organizations fill the mental health service gap as well as providing job readiness and conflict mediation along with many other needs. Deeper investments in these critical services is needed to support health and safety needs of New York City.”
"Closing Rikers Island must remain a priority for this administration. Incarceration is not a solution for community safety and there are countless organizations and community members doing the real work of restoring people and communities to a place of respect, safety and dignity-but they cannot do it without funds. Funds must be divested with the clear intention of pouring back into our families and communities. We must acknowledge the various ways that our systems have continuously failed our most vulnerable New Yorkers, and work together to do better, because we know better," said Exodus Transitional Community CEO Kathleen Bernier.
“Closing Rikers Island remains a critical commitment our city must fulfill, and while we know we are not on track to meet the original timeline, that cannot diminish the urgency of the work before us,” said Council Member Selvena N. Brooks-Powers, Chair of the New York City Council Committee on Criminal Justice. “As we move toward a borough-based jail system, we must do so in a way that keeps New Yorkers safe, treats every person in our custody with dignity and humanity, and gives people the support they need to successfully return to their communities and avoid future involvement with the justice system. That requires reducing unnecessary incarceration and case delays, investing in effective alternatives and reentry services, and ensuring safe and humane conditions for those who remain in custody. As Chair, I will continue to use the Council’s oversight authority to hold the city agencies accountable and press for measurable progress towards a correctional system that is safer, more effective, and more humane for everyone.”
“Time is ticking on the deadline to close Rikers,” said Council Member Sandy Nurse. “We urgently need a whole government approach to get this done.”
“After years of delays, I am encouraged to see this mayoral administration restore momentum to fulfilling our promise to close Rikers and replace a system that has continuously endangered New Yorkers,” said NYC Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams. “We must carry that momentum with sustained investments in supportive housing, mental health care, recidivism reduction programming, and affordability – because true public safety, and reducing our jail population, begins way before someone enters the custody of our correction system. I thank Freedom Agenda for organizing today’s Day of Action, and I look forward to maintaining this partnership across city leaders, agencies, advocates, and communities to deliver real reform with urgency and accountability.”
"One year from today, the law says Rikers must close. While the City may not fully meet that deadline, there can be no excuses to slow down. People are dying on that island right now, and every day we wait is a day we're failing them," said Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso. "Brooklyn stands with the survivors and families who have carried this fight for years, and we will not stop pushing until Rikers is closed for good."
"Closing Rikers was never just about shutting down a facility; it was a promise to the people this city has spent generations throwing away," said Council Member Yusef Salaam. "A year from the deadline, that promise is still ours to keep, and keeping it means fewer people behind bars starting now."
“Rikers Island has stood as a symbol of a broken system for far too long. Closing Rikers is not simply about closing a jail. It is about building a safer, fairer, and more just city for everyone. We must continue investing in our communities, expanding meaningful alternatives to incarceration, and ensuring that every person who comes into contact with our justice system is treated with dignity, humanity, and respect. As we move forward, I remain firmly committed to ensuring this transition is carried out responsibly and transparently, with accountability at every step and with the voices of our communities at the heart of the process. This is an opportunity to create lasting change, strengthen our neighborhoods, and build a justice system that truly serves all New Yorkers,” said Council Member Elsie Encarnacion.
“For years, advocates, impacted families, and formerly incarcerated New Yorkers have fought tirelessly to make closing Rikers Island possible, and the progress we have made is a testament to their persistence. With one year remaining until the legal deadline, the City now has a responsibility to match that urgency with action,” said Council Member Justin E. Sanchez. “Closing Rikers on time is the bare minimum, and we cannot afford to spend this next year waiting only to scramble as the deadline approaches. Every day between now and then must be used to safely reduce our reliance on incarceration, move the closure plan forward, and ensure this transition is done responsibly. The violence, trauma, and atrocities that have defined Rikers for far too long cannot be allowed to continue a single day past the deadline.
"For years, particularly when I was Manhattan Borough President, I have said that Rikers Island must close,” said Council Member Gale A. Brewer. “The conditions on the island have been unacceptable for far too long, and today's anniversary is a stark reminder of the delay in real progress toward that goal. We must continue reducing the jail population, investing in community-based solutions, and doing the work necessary to close Rikers once and for all."
“We are now just one year away from the legally mandated closure of Rikers Island—the last remaining penal colony in the United States. Although it is clear that the city will not meet that deadline, we cannot allow further delays to prolong the humanitarian crisis that have unfolded on Rikers for decades. The city must act with urgency to reduce the jail population and fulfill the decarceration goals essential to closing Rikers and transitioning to a borough-based jail system. That means investing at every point in a robust continuum of alternatives that provides people with holistic care and wraparound services, prevents deeper criminal legal system involvement, and builds communities that are safer and more responsive to everyone," said Megan French-Marcelin, Vice President of New York State Policy at Legal Action Center.
###