Overview
- Mayor Zohran Mamdani appointed Dana Kaplan as Close Rikers Czar, a role created Tuesday, April 28, to coordinate closure of the island complex, cut the jail population, advance new facility construction, manage safe transfers, and plan the site’s future.
- A 2019 city law requires Rikers Island to shut by August 2027, setting a legal clock on the transition to a new jail system.
- USA TODAY reports that meeting the 2027 deadline looks unlikely, with city timelines showing the Brooklyn jail finished in 2029, the Bronx and Queens sites in 2031, and the Manhattan facility in 2032.
- Construction is moving, with the final piece of structural steel placed on the new Brooklyn jail last week, marking a visible milestone in the replacement plan.
- The city’s plan replaces Rikers with four borough jails capped at 3,300 beds to keep people closer to home and services, a sharp shift from Rikers’ 10 jails and capacity of up to 17,000.