Independent Rikers Commission tells City Council: ‘Rikers must close’ as agencies and commission disagree on timeline and roles

The Independent Rikers Commission told the New York City Council on the record that Rikers Island “must close because it is a stain on the soul of our city,” and urged faster action, more treatment beds off‑island and two full‑time mayoral appointees to drive the work.

The commission’s chair, Judge Lippmann, told the Criminal Justice Committee the report lays out “a blueprint to get that done” and said “we must end it and end it now,” citing the high number of deaths and the jail’s role in treating people with serious mental illness. The commission recommended speeding construction of borough‑based jails, creating 500 forensic psychiatric beds outside jails, and appointing an administration point person plus a corrections culture‑change lead to coordinate across city and state agencies.

Why it matters: Council members and witnesses framed Rikers as both a humanitarian and fiscal crisis and pressed city agencies on concrete steps, funding, and accountability. Commissioners said closing Rikers will require sustained leadership, improved case processing, more mental‑health capacity in the community, and changes to Department of Correction (DOC) culture; agency witnesses described progress but disputed the feasibility of closing Rikers within the statutory August 2027 deadline.

Key arguments and agency responses

Judge Lippmann…