The city has three years to close Rikers – can it be done?

The city has three years to close Rikers – can it be done?

As the three-year countdown to the closure of the jails on Rikers Island begins this week, major questions remain about whether or not the city will – or even can – meet the August 2027 deadline to shutter the notorious complex.

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‘A little perplexed’: Questions raised over city’s $4 billion contract for construction of Queens jail

‘A little perplexed’: Questions raised over city’s $4 billion contract for construction of Queens jail

Advocates and a lawmaker on Thursday spoke out against the city’s proposed $4 billion contract for the building of Queens’ borough-based jail, which may be completed four years after the city’s legally-mandated deadline to close Rikers Island.

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Four billion dollars and four years late: Queens jail is over budget and behind schedule

Four billion dollars and four years late: Queens jail is over budget and behind schedule

Queens’ borough-based jail set to be built in Kew Gardens will cost taxpayers at least $4 billion and may be completed four years after the city’s legally-mandated deadline to close Rikers Island, city records show.

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Speaker Adams bashes mayor on plan to close Rikers

Speaker Adams bashes mayor on plan to close Rikers

“The inconsistent statements from the administration over the past few days have unacceptably created questions where there should be no questions,” the speaker said. “Rikers must close by 2027 and we cannot allow it to continue undermining public safety issues across our city.”

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'The people left behind’: Advocates renew push to pass parole reform

'The people left behind’: Advocates renew push to pass parole reform

Robert Webster, a Queens man who served over three decades in prison, was one of over 100 formerly incarcerated New Yorkers to make a trip to Albany on Wednesday to reignite the push to pass the Elder Parole and Fair and Timely Parole bills, both of which have received widespread support from lawmakers and advocates in the past but have yet to make it to the governor’s desk.

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