Rikers Island jail will miss its 2027 closure deadline

Rikers Island jail, between New York City’s Bronx and Queens boroughs, will not close by the 2027 deadline.

The deadline came from a pledge to replace the large jail with smaller facilities, but construction of those facilities is behind schedule.

Rikers mainly holds people awaiting trial, and it has faced longstanding criticism over poor conditions, violence and staff shortages.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani supports closing the jail, and his administration says it is working to do so as quickly as possible.

The delay matters because activists point to deaths in city jails and say Rikers has both a human and financial cost.

While the jail remains open, officials and activists are calling for repairs, better social and educational programmes, and a smaller inmate population.

They want the population reduced from more than 6,500 to 4,000 through faster court proceedings and transfers to other units.