Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani today announced that Dana Kaplan will serve as the City's Close Rikers Czar, a new role responsible for overseeing the closure of Rikers Island, reducing the jail population, advancing construction of borough-based facilities, ensuring the safe transfer of people in custody off the island and planning for the island's future.
Kaplan brings more than two decades of experience in criminal justice reform, including as a senior advisor to the Independent Rikers Commission, where she helped shape and advance the City's blueprint to close Rikers Island and transition to a borough-based jail system.
"Dana Kaplan has the vision and expertise to help us close Rikers Island, reduce the jail population and open a borough-based jail system that is smaller, safer and more humane," said Mayor Mamdani. "She will lead coordination across agencies to deliver a system that respects the dignity of people in custody and the people who work in these facilities."
"I'm honored to take on this role and work alongside City agencies, the City Council, federal partners and service providers to safely reduce the jail population, improve conditions and finish the job of transitioning to borough-based facilities," said Close Rikers Czar Dana Kaplan. "Closing Rikers Island requires coordination, urgency and a commitment not only to closing the facilities, but to building a system rooted in dignity, accountability and care - turning a chapter in our city's jail system and opening a new one by replacing Rikers with a smaller, safer and more humane system that better serves all New Yorkers."
"We are excited to welcome Dana Kaplan as the Close Rikers Czar. She has dedicated her career to advancing criminal justice reform and played a critical role in developing the blueprint to close Rikers," said First Deputy Mayor Dean Fuleihan. "Dana is uniquely qualified to help shepherd this work across the finish line and deliver a better jail system."
"Dana brings experience, vision and, most of all, heart, to this critical position," said New York City Correction Commissioner Stanley Richards. "Having worked with Dana for many years, I know that she will make important strides toward closing the jails on Rikers Island and promote the safety of everyone who works or is involved in the criminal legal system. We look forward to a strong partnership."
"DDC is hard at work creating the four new, more humane jails that will help enable the closure of Rikers Island, and earlier this week marked a major milestone at the new Brooklyn jail where the last piece of structural steel was installed," said NYC Department of Design and Construction Acting Commissioner Eduardo del Valle. "Dana Kaplan was there for the inception of this program, and her coordination will be a vital and necessary piece of transitioning from Rikers to the new facilities."
In 2025, the City Council passed legislation requiring the appointment of a coordinator to oversee the transition to borough-based jails. Kaplan's hiring fulfills that mandate.
Her selection marks the latest step in the Mamdani administration's work to meet the legal requirement to close Rikers Island and move to a smaller, borough-based system. The City recently took steps to move people off the island and improve conditions for both correction staff and those in custody.
Earlier this month, Mayor Mamdani announced the opening of the City's first Outposted Therapeutic Housing Unit at NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue . The 104-bed, hospital-based unit serves people in custody with complex medical needs, providing specialized care in a setting designed for treatment and recovery.
On Wednesday, City agencies also marked a major construction milestone in Brooklyn, placing the final piece of structural steel atop the new borough-based jail.
About Dana Kaplan
Dana Kaplan has spent her career working on criminal justice reform and advancing a more equitable carceral system. Most recently, she served as director of the social impact campaign for the Oscar-nominated film "The Alabama Solution," focused on reforming Alabama's state prison system.
She also served as a senior advisor to the Independent Rikers Commission and Director of Justice Reform at the National Institute for Criminal Justice Reform.
In 2014, Kaplan joined the Mayor's Office of Criminal Justice (MOCJ), where she served for eight years, including as Deputy Director of the Close Rikers and Justice Initiatives. She oversaw $150 million in contracted programming aimed at reducing the jail population and improving public safety. She also worked on implementing Raise the Age, helping move 16- and 17-year-olds off Rikers Island into juvenile facilities and community-based programs.
Kaplan is a recipient of the John Gardner Fellowship for Public Service from the University of California, Berkeley, where she graduated Phi Beta Kappa. She also holds a master's degree from the City University of New York.
