Today, New York City Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani, Department of Correction (DOC) Commissioner Stanley Richards and Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS) Commissioner Yume Kitasei announced major milestones in the City's effort to close the jails on Rikers Island and replace them with a modern, borough-based jail system.
Under the Mayor's direction, DOC permanently closed the North Infirmary Command, a vacant jail that first opened in 1932, and transferred the facility to DCAS. The DOC also transferred jurisdiction over large portions of the George Motchan Detention Center (GMDC) and Anna M. Kross Center (AMKC) to DCAS. Neither facility currently houses people in custody. These are the first property transfers from DOC to DCAS since 2021.
"For decades, Rikers Island has represented one of the deepest failures of our City government. It has failed people in custody, correction officers and every New Yorker who believes our justice system should live up to its name," said Mayor Mamdani. "This milestone brings us closer to ending that chapter. We are replacing a system built around neglect with one centered on rehabilitation and accountability because public safety and human dignity are not competing values."
"Today's announcement represents another important step toward closing Rikers Island," said First Deputy Mayor Dean Fuleihan. "For too long, the people who are in custody and work on Rikers have been treated as an afterthought by City government. With this transfer, our Administration is showing New Yorkers that we are seriously committed to building a safer, more humane borough-based jail system and governing with compassion."
"This is not just about closing facilities; it is about building a modern, state-of-the-art system that promotes dignity for staff and those in our care," said DOC Commissioner Stanley Richards. "Now is the time to be ambitious and create a system that supports the lifesaving work of this Department while helping those in our care make meaningful changes that will allow them to thrive upon their return home. This is an important step toward a safer, more effective correctional system for our city and the communities we serve."
"Today's announcement marks an important step in the city's ongoing efforts to close facilities on Rikers Island and advance the island's future," said DCAS Commissioner Yume Kitasei. "In coordination with the Department of Correction, the North Infirmary Command and portions of the Anna M. Kross Center and George Motchan Detention Center are being moved into our agency portfolio, and we are looking forward to identifying meaningful future uses for these sites, including opportunities for sustainable infrastructure and other public purposes that serve the city's long-term needs."
"Every facility we close and every jail we transfer brings us one step closer to finishing the job of closing Rikers Island. Today's milestone is another example of the Mamdani administration turning a long-standing legal obligation into meaningful action through coordinated work across City government," said Close Rikers Czar Dana Kaplan. "We are moving with urgency to transition away from Rikers while replacing it with a smaller, safer, and more humane correctional system."
"Although I'm glad to be at Rikers today to witness this concrete step toward closure, I look forward to the day when no New Yorker, including myself, must visit this facility. Closure of Rikers Island remains the goal, facilitated by an aggressive effort to reduce the jail's population to make this possible," said Public Advocate Jumaane Williams. "This includes more efficient court administration to reduce pre-trial detention along with improved connections to supportive housing, mental health and other supports to effectively reintegrate New Yorkers into their communities. I stand with many advocates in looking forward to the release of a city budget this week that demonstrates the commitment reflected at today's event."
"Rikers Island has been a moral stain on our city for generations, shattering countless futures and keeping the carceral cycle spinning at top speed. This ghoulish monument to inhumanity, disinvestment and systemic racism must close as quickly as possible, and I am hopeful this land transfer will help accelerate that indescribably important effort," said Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr. "I look forward to working with the Mamdani Administration on the urgent overall closure of Rikers Island and its restoration into a location that helps move New York City forward, not doom New Yorkers to lifetimes of unspeakable physical, mental, emotional and generational trauma."
"Today's announcement marks meaningful progress toward closing Rikers Island," said New York City Council Member Selvena N. Brooks-Powers, Chair of the Committee on Criminal Justice. "By permanently removing these facilities from correctional use, the City is demonstrating its commitment to reducing the footprint of Rikers and moving closer to a more humane and effective criminal justice system. As Chair of the Committee on Criminal Justice, I look forward to continuing our work with the Administration, Council colleagues, advocates and our impacted community members to ensure we remain on track to close Rikers and build a criminal justice system that better serves all New Yorkers."
"For years, particularly when I was Manhattan Borough President, I have said that Rikers Island must close. The conditions on the island have been unacceptable for far too long, and today's announcement represents real progress toward that goal," said Council Member Gale A. Brewer. "Transferring these facilities out of the Department of Correction's control is a tangible step that shows the City is moving from planning to action. We must continue reducing the jail population, investing in community-based solutions, and doing the work necessary to close Rikers once and for all."
"Closing Rikers is a moral imperative this city committed to, made all the more urgent by last year's federal receivership," said Council Member Yusef Salaam. "Transferring the North Infirmary Command and substantial portions of the Anna M. Kross and George Motchan facilities from DOC to DCAS moves us from promise to progress. I'm proud to stand with Mayor Mamdani, the advocates who have pushed this milestone forward."
"I'm grateful that Mayor Mamdani is shuttering jails and moving us toward closing Rikers Island once and for all," said Council Member Lincoln Restler. "For years, the Department of Correction had refused to shrink their footprint on Rikers, so this transfer of multiple jail properties to the Department of Citywide Administrative Services is a particularly welcome development."
"During my seven years as a public defender, my clients who were too poor to buy their right to presumption of innocence got sent to Rikers, knowing it was a potential death sentence. I am grateful for this step toward closing Rikers and bringing an end to this human rights abomination," said Council Member Tiffany Cabán. "We achieve greater safety through investments in housing, mental health care, substance use support, and economic stability, not through more police, punishment, and incarceration."
"When I chaired the Council's Criminal Justice Committee, we fought to make the Adams administration follow the law and turn over unused land on Rikers to DCAS. The Mamdani administration is actually doing it," said Council Member Sandy Nurse. "I applaud the steps taken today to close Rikers and move us closer to the Renewable Rikers we've long envisioned."
"We commend Mayor Mamdani and Commissioner Richards for taking these first crucial steps to transform Rikers from an island of pain to a site of sustainability. Members of Freedom Agenda believed they could bring the rest of the City to understand what they have long known-that isolating people from their families and communities could never create safety, and that we can only build a stronger City when we invest in support and opportunities for everyone," said Darren Mack, Co-Director of Freedom Agenda. "After years of delays, there is a lot of catching up to do, but with focused action and investment to reduce incarceration, we can see more of these transfers in just the next year, and we look forward to working with the administration to meet the legal and moral obligation to close Rikers."
"Rikers Island has been a moral stain on New York City for nearly a century, and the work of closing it has lasted a generation, which is why we commend the leadership of Mayor Mamdani in moving the closure process forward with today's announcement transferring significant portions of the island from the Dept. of Correction," said Janos Marton, Chief Advocacy Officer of Dream.Org. "We look forward to working with this administration to close Rikers Island for good, and replace it with a safer, fairer, and smaller jail system."
"For years, The Fortune Society has stood alongside directly impacted people and our fellow advocates in working toward the closure of Rikers Island," said Rob DeLeon, President and CEO of The Fortune Society. "The closure and transfer of these facilities reflects meaningful progress toward that shared goal, and we appreciate the leadership of the Mamdani administration, Commissioner Richards, and the City Council in helping make it possible. We remain committed to continuing the work with all of our partners until the vision of closing Rikers becomes a reality."
"The Women's Community Justice Association (WCJA) applauds this milestone and Mayor Mamdani's commitment to closing Rikers and the relentless advocacy of directly impacted people, community organizations, the City Council, and countless advocates who refused to let this promise fade. It is a meaningful step toward replacing a system rooted in incarceration with one grounded in healing, dignity, accountability, and public safety," said Rev. Dr. Sharon White-Harrigan, Executive Director of the Women's Community Justice Association (WCJA). "Closing Rikers is not about closing buildings-it is about transforming how New York responds to trauma, mental health, poverty, and violence through community-based investments that create lasting safety and opportunity. This is what progress looks like when courage meets commitment. We celebrate today's milestone while remaining steadfast in our pursuit of a city where healing replaces harm, communities replace cages, and every person has the opportunity to thrive."
"The transfer of these facilities represents a significant operational change in how parts of Rikers Island are managed and may reflect broader efforts related to the system's long-term future. As a nonprofit serving women impacted by incarceration, we remain committed to collaborating with partners to advance approaches that center dignity, healing, and successful reentry," said Dr. Alethea Taylor, Executive Director, Hour Children. "We recognize the City's continued work in this area and that lasting progress is built one step at a time."
"Today's transfers demonstrate the strong leadership we need to permanently end the failures of Rikers, and use the island for something that actually helps New Yorkers. Closing the decrepit, dangerous jails on Rikers is essential to safety and justice," said Jonathan Lippman, former Chief Judge of New York State and chair of the Independent Rikers Commission. "That's why our Commission looks forward to working with the Administration and all stakeholders to replace Rikers with a safer, more effective system, and to bring the Renewable Rikers vision to life."
"Today's announcement by Mayor Mamdani signals a welcome and unambiguous change in direction from the previous administration," said Eric A. Goldstein, NYC Environment Director at NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) and a public member of the Rikers Island Advisory Committee established by the City Council. "The post-incarceration future for Rikers Island envisions solar energy, composting, and modern wastewater facilities on the island that can produce hundreds of green jobs for city residents and turn an island of shame into a showplace of sustainability - social justice and environmental protection moving hand in hand."
The North Infirmary Command (NIC) originally opened in 1932 and most recently housed people in DOC custody with acute medical needs requiring infirmary-level care.
The closure was made possible by Mayor Mamdani's push to open the Outposted Therapeutic Housing Unit at NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue in April. The 104-bed unit provides a therapeutic setting with direct access to specialty medical care and is the first of three planned Outposted Therapeutic Housing Units across the city.
AMKC opened in 1978 and was once the largest jail on Rikers Island, spanning 40 acres. The facility stopped housing people in 2023, although Rikers' main kitchen remains there. GMDC opened in 1971 and stopped housing people in 2018. Today, the facility serves as a DOC Training Academy annex, while its former visit house has been converted into a wellness center for correction officers.
The City previously transferred the James A. Thomas Center and several parcels of unused land on Rikers Island to DCAS in 2021. With these additional transfers, the Mamdani administration will accelerate planning for future use of Rikers Island as the City continues the work of permanently closing the jail complex.
