NEW YORK (1010 WINS) – New York City mayoral candidate Andrew Yang said he'd back closing Rikers Island if we were elected mayor but said it was "tough" for him to commit to a specific timeline.
Yang, who has been leading many Democratic mayoral primary polls, was asked about closing the jail during a forum on the Freedom Agenda's YouTube page Tuesday.
Yang was asked if he'd commit to closing Rikers by or before Aug. 31, 2027 and reducing the total citywide jail capacity to 3,300 or less by that time.
"I support closing Rikers Island as soon as we can," Yang said. "I support closing Rikers Island as soon as we can. It's a stain on the city. It's inhumane. It's incredibly costly. It's inefficient. It's not doing what it's supposed to do."
New York City mayoral candidate Andrew Yang delivers remarks about a shooting that occurred the previous evening in Times Square on Sunday.Ron Adar / SOPA Images/Sipa USA
"We have to close it as soon as possible. And we have to do everything we can to see to it that not a single person that should not be in our jailing system is there, which would reduce the number," Yang added.
Yang said it was "tough for me to commit to when we can get this done by, but we need to get it done, we need to get it done as quickly as possible. And I'm committed to doing just that."
In 2019, the City Council voted to replace the Rikers complex with four smaller jails located closer to the city's main courthouses in Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx and Queens.
Whoever is elected mayor this year would have to handle closing Rikers in the years ahead. Last fall, the plan to shutter the jail by 2026 was delayed until 2027.
Another candidate who is leading the mayoral polls, Brooklyn borough president Eric Adams, told the New York Post that he also supports closing Rikers.
"Eric supports the closing of Rikers Island on the original timeline and the concept of community-based facilities that allow families and networks of support to be closer to those who are incarcerated," Adams' campaign said in a statement.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
