"Rikers Island is in a dangerous state of ongoing crisis that demands immediate action to protect people on both sides of the bars. The Action Plan finally put forth by the city provides a framework, a base, that could potentially address some of the aspects contributing to that crisis. As the federal monitor repeatedly noted, though, that potential is predicated on hypothetical – IF the city truly follows through with diligent, swift action and delivers on the promises of the plan, conditions could be improved and lives saved.
"We’ve seen promises made and abandoned related to Rikers before, and my office will be watching and working with this administration to ensure that the plan is put into practice, that the people working now to provide essential, restorative services for incarcerated New Yorkers are at the center of solutions, and that all of these efforts are carried out while working toward the legal and moral mandate of closing Rikers Island for good."