With 2027 out of reach, Council passes bills to move Rikers’ closure along

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With 2027 out of reach, Council passes bills to move Rikers’ closure along

With the city lagging years behind its legally-mandated 2027 deadline to shutter Rikers Island, the City Council on Wednesday passed a suite of bills that they say will at least help get the effort to close the notorious jail complex back on track.

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Council and mayor’s office clash over Rikers’ closure plan

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Council and mayor’s office clash over Rikers’ closure plan

The mayor’s office and the City Council remained in a standoff over the closure of Rikers Island on Wednesday, unable to agree on how the city should chart a new path toward shutting the deadly jail complex.

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City cannot shut Rikers by 2027, landmark report finds

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City cannot shut Rikers by 2027, landmark report finds

In a stark admission on Wednesday, the commission formed to map out the closure of Rikers Island said that the current 2027 deadline to shutter the deadly jail complex has become impossible for the city to meet.

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Courts to speed up cases in effort to shrink Rikers’ population

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Courts to speed up cases in effort to shrink Rikers’ population

With the city’s legally-mandated deadline to close Rikers Island now less than three years away, top court officials this week said that they plan to make a number of reforms in the city’s criminal courts in an effort to lower the jail’s population, which, as of now, is nearly twice as large as what can be held in Rikers’ replacements.

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Former top judge says Senate violated constitution by rejecting LaSalle

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Former top judge says Senate violated constitution by rejecting LaSalle

A former chief judge of the Court of Appeals – and a noted supporter of Hector LaSalle, the recently rejected nominee for chief judge – says the governor has a solid case to bring should she decide to sue the State Senate for failing to bring LaSalle’s nomination to the floor of the legislature.

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In Queens DA race, a spectrum of perspectives on city jails plan

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In Queens DA race, a spectrum of perspectives on city jails plan

Each candidate agrees that the Rikers Island jails, as currently constructed, are outdated and dangerous and need to be close. They differ on what to do next.

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Katz, Malik and Cabán first to file DA petitions

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Katz, Malik and Cabán first to file DA petitions

In order to appear on the ballot, candidates must file at least 4,000 valid signatures from registered Democrats who live in Queens County.

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