Mamdani administration closes part of NYC's Rikers Island
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani's administration announced the closure of a Rikers Island facility Monday. City and jail officials said the North Infirmary Command was permanently shut down.
The Department of Corrections transferred the facility to the Department of Citywide Administrative Services, along with large portions of two other centers. None of them currently housed people in custody, according to a news release.
"This milestone brings us closer to ending that chapter," Mamdani said. "We are replacing a system built around neglect with one centered on rehabilitation and accountability because public safety and human dignity are not competing values."
Therapeutic housing unit allows closure of facility
The now-shuttered North Infirmary Command most recently housed people with acute medical needs who required hospital-level care.
The mayor's administration was able to close it due to a new therapeutic housing unit created for inmates. In April, Mamdani announced detainees with complicated medical needs will be transferred to Bellevue Hospital in Kips Bay.
The unit serves 104 people who need specialty care. Two other units will be created at NYC Health + Hospitals/Woodhull and North Central Bronx.
Plan to close jail complex
The city is required by law to close the entire Rikers Island jail complex by August 2027.
The troubled jail complex will be replaced with four smaller borough-based jails. Rikers has been a source of controversy for decades and has drawn intense scrutiny due to issues with violence, infrastructure and staffing.
Mamdani has stated that he is committed to closing the jail complex, but in April he cast doubt on meeting the 2027 deadline.
"[It's] practically impossible to fulfill, because we've seen years of a flouting of not just recommendations, but requirements, frankly. It is going to take us quite a bit of time to ensure that we can put our city back on the path," Mamdani said.
