The past few weeks have highlighted serious concerns regarding the present conditions at Rikers Island, including severe overcrowding, delays in the intake process and understaffing.
At a minimum, our city needs to provide humane conditions for those who are detained in our city's jails.
My office continues to work with stakeholders on a daily basis to explore workable solutions. We continue to review the securing orders of those who are being held at Rikers on Queens cases, with an eye toward expediting dispositions, advancing sentences and considering jail alternatives.
Criminal justice reform legislation passed last year, which I support, already makes most non-violent crimes ineligible for bail. As always, however, even if electable, we seek the least restrictive options that will ensure a defendant’s return to court.
Efforts to resolve staffing issues that apparently triggered the current crisis have helped, as has Gov. Hochul’s recent Executive Order expanding the use of virtual court appearances to help alleviate congestion.
Keeping the communities of Queens safe while helping to ensure a humane criminal justice system are the top priorities of my administration.
