Issue Briefs

Freedom Agenda Issue Briefs

This set of Issue Briefs offers a deeper dive into the current state of New York City jails, and the plans to close them. A great supplement to our teach-in, What 2021 Candidates Need to Know about Closing RikersDownload them individually below, or download all seven in a single PDF by clicking here.

  1. Rikers Island is a Toxic Penal Colony – Rikers is neither a single prison nor a single jail. It is the last remaining penal colony in the United States. It remains a stain on New York City and must be closed forever.

  2. Existing Borough Jails in NYC Are Unfit for HumansAside from the 10 jails on Rikers, NYC operates 4 jails in the boroughs. All existing borough jails are as decrepit as the jails on Rikers.

  3. We Can Reduce & Eventually End Jail Incarceration in NYC For more than 20 years, crime rates in NYC have dropped along with incarceration rates.

  4. Renovated Borough Facilities & Ongoing Organizing Can Reduce the Harms of IncarcerationWe can and must still influence the design and operation of the new borough-based jail system.

  5. We Can and Must Invest in Communities & Address Conditions of ConfinementIt is not an option for the City to say it cannot afford to provide humane treatment.

  6. Rikers’ Future Should be Determined by the People/Communities Harmed By Its LegacyAfter hundreds of conversations with people who’ve been incarcerated on Rikers and had loved ones there, a consensus emerged: use the island for green infrastructure through the Renewable Rikers Plan.

  7. Only Continued Organizing Will Guarantee the Closure of Rikers – On the commitments the City has made – we must hold them accountable. Where the City has yet not agreed to our demands, we must continue to organize and win.

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