NYC Officials: On Pace To Close Rikers By 2027

City officials say they're on pace to close Rikers Island by 2027.

Testifying at a city council hearing on Monday, officials said the demolition contracts will be awarded by the end of this year for the locations of the new borough-based jails that will replace Rikers. They described a smaller jail system with nearly 2,000 fewer detainees than Rikers Island's current population of more than 5,400. And they said the new jails will be built in what they describe as a more humane manner, with windows to the outside in every cell, no bars, and couch-like seating.

Community members urged officials to address the root causes of incarceration that led to the overcrowded and inhumane conditions at Rikers. And Bronx residents expressed concern about the location of that borough's future jail on Concord Avenue.