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QUEENS CHRONICLE, Thursday, October 26, 2023 Page 18
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Council continues plans to close Rikers
Officials admit they are delayed with erecting boro-based jails by Naeisha Rose Associate Editor
Months after Mayor Adams raised concerns about plans to close the Big Apple’s largest jail complex for four smaller ones in Kew Gardens, Manhattan, Brooklyn and the Bronx, City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams (D-Jamaica) announced last Thursday the reappointment of the Independent Rikers Commission, a group tasked with seeing the initiative through within the next four years. W hile the Speaker’s Off ice acknowledged that the city is delayed in erecting borough-based jails by the target goal because of the pandemic, the changing number of beds expected, the lack of treatment centers for those with serious health issues and the holdup of criminal cases in the court system, Councilwoman Carlina Rivera (D-Manhattan), chair of the Committee on Criminal Justice, is intent in ensuring that Rikers is closed by Aug. 31, 2027. “Advocates, justice-impacted people, and the families of those who have died on Rikers all know the time is now to move the city forward to meet our legal requirement to open borough-based jails and close Rikers by 2027,” Rivera said in a statement. “Reducing the population is urgent, and we need as many voices as possible at the table to reiterate how important alternatives to incarceration, reentry services, and streamlined case processing are to our timeline. The revival of the Lippman Commission is critical to support the administration and state agencies in meeting this moral and legal mandate.” The IRC is chaired by former state Judge Jonathan Lippman, who in 2017 revealed plans to build the smaller jails, which were expected to cost at least $8 billion. “... the goal of Commission 2.0 is to take a renewed and realistic look at current on-the-ground conditions and find a safe, clear path to swiftly close Rikers,” Lippman said in a statement. “We are committed with all our energies to answering that call from Speaker Adams and Mayor Adams.” The speaker said that she was proud to reappoint the IRC. “It is clear that Rikers is not serving New Yorkers and continues to undermine public safety in our city,” she said in a statement.” Our commitment to meeting the legal mandate must be steadfast and will require the participation of all levels of government and parties involved in the criminal justice system.” The mayor also says that he sup-
ports the jail’s closure, so long as it maintains the dignity and safety for all justice-involved New Yorkers. “... The pandemic also caused significant issues and delays with the previous administration’s plans to issue requests for proposals and implement the design-phase of the borough-based jails plan, as well as brought construction projects to a halt while causing costs to skyrocket,” he said in a statement. “Our administration’s commitment to the success of our jail system is unwavering, but we also have taken stock of the reality of how this once-in-a-gen- A rendering of a Correctional Health Services facility. eration pandemic impacted the original timeline for the implementation far, roughly 100 beds are partially cil to help the mentally ill. “People with mental illness of the borough-based jail plan. The built at Bellevue, which is 10 percent answer is not to ignore reality or less than was hoped for, but that was deserve proper treatment and care, compromise public safety, but to a result of design concerns by the city not incarceration that could worsen Department of Correction and the their condition,” Holden said. “I work together to find solutions ...” Zachary Katznelson, a policy State Commission on Correction, strongly believe in expanding Kenddirector for the commission, told the according to an IRC report from this ra’s Law, enabling New York’s use Chronicle via email that the projected month. Overall, none of the beds are of Medicaid for mental health and substance abuse treatments, and open yet. cost is now roughly $10 billion. Moreover, the IRC believes enhancing our mental health facili“... I would note that whatever the projected total cost, the jails will be because of the lack of tracking of ties and beds to serve this vulnerapaid for with bonds,” Katznelson said. people with serious illnesses at Rik- ble population better.” Holden also introduced bills “Those bonds are paid back in annual ers, the city should prepare to secure installments over 30 years ... At the 1,500 beds at hospitals instead. The Intro. 0793 and Res. 0088, one of same time, we projected the City will group also believes that state sites which would require the Departsave about $2 billion in annual oper- such as the Creedmoor Psychiatric ment of Health and Mental Hygiene Center in Queens to report on referrals to assisted outating costs once Village and Kirby patient treatment programs, while the borough jails Forensic Psychiat- the other would call on Congress are up and runric Hospital on and the president to fully repeal the ning. Therefore, eople with Randalls Island Institutions for Mental Diseases we estimated the should also be Exclusion from the Social Security City would save mental illness Act, if signed into law. considered. about $1.3 billion deserve proper “Building secure treatment beds In addition, the per year by closing c o m m i s s i o n within City hospitals is expected to Rikers and moving treatment ... ” wa nt s wa ive r s cost 25% less than building jail to the borough from the federal beds,” said Katznelson. Boroughjails — even after — Councilman Bob Holden gover n ment t o based jail beds are projected to cost pay i ng for the permit Medicaid $660 million per year with the bond jails.” The borough-based jails were to cover costs related to treatment in repayments. The commission also raised cononce expected to hold 3,300 people the units. Federal law generally bans when built, but are now slated to hold the use of such funds for incarcerated cerns about the lack of mental health 4,160 beds with an additional 360 people, but the IRC wants the state to training among correctional officers secure hospital beds elsewhere, ask to cover most treatment costs and said that staffing is uneven. In May, Rubu Zhao, a 52-year-old during the first and last 90 days a according to Katznelson. While there were 6,188 detainees person is detained. It also wants detainee, jumped to his death from as of Monday, the IRC believes the treatment for incarcerated people a Program to Accelerate Clinical population can be reduced by speed- who are under 21 and for former fos- Effectiveness therapeutic unit at Rikers. ing up court cases and diverting peo- ter care youth who are up to age 26. “All uniform staff are trained in “New York has yet to apply for ple who have substance abuse problems, alcohol addiction and mental, such a waiver, but California and suicide prevention at the Academy intellectual and developmental dis- Washington State recently had waiv- when they first join the Department,” abilities to beds at Correctional er applications approved so that Med- said a DOC spokesman. “Every icaid will cover many medical costs recruit receives 9 hours and 45 minHealth Services outside of Rikers. At least 1,200 people who are during the last 90 days before some- utes of required New York State and detained are estimated to have a one is released from jail or prison,” DOC Suicide Prevention Training.” Suicide Prevention is also a topic severe mental illness, according to said Katznelson. Arizona, Kentucky, New Jersey, Utah and West Virginia that is embedded in several other the press release. courses delivered to new-recruit offiThe city initially pledged to secure have requests pending, he added. C o u n c i l m a n B o b H o l d e n cers such as Mental Illness Training, 250 beds at Bellevue, Woodhull and North-Central Bronx hospitals, but (D-Maspeth) said via email that which is eight hours delivered by later increased the number to 400. So there is legislation before the Coun- CHS and Mental Health First Aid,
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which is also eight hours. There is also an increase in the offerings for suicide prevention refreshers, teletypes are released weekly so that staff is aware of the training and the agency recently released a Self-Harm PSA video that is shown daily on internal DOC channels during roll call in the facilities. There also are posters on suicide prevention protocols, the spokesman said. The DOC graduated a new class of officers on Oct. 13, and a new class was sworn-in on Oct. 19. A recruitment-filing period closed Oct. 16, the spokesman added. CHS said it provides a continuum of mental healthcare, which is available in the jails, and patients in the general population can receive individual counseling that is akin to outpatient care. There is also a spectrum of therapeutic models for patients with serious mental, intellectual and other significant health needs. The city Department of Design and Construction was not available to answer questions about what can be done to speed up construction on the jails in Kew Gardens, the Bronx and Manhattan. Community Board 13 was not available to answer questions on Creedmoor as a site for a potential CHS facility. Alfred Brand, chairman of the Kew Gardens Civic Association, said the need for mental health and other services is critical, but the original Lippman Commission included no input from community leaders of the surrounding neighborhoods and the plan was “sprung” on the communities as a “done-deal” despite intense opposition. “The Kew Gardens Civic Association is opposed to the current Borough Based Jails program,” he said. “The plan is fundamentally flawed. It will not meet the needs of the confined population or the people of the City of New York ... Objections were, Q and continue to be, ignored.”
