statement on gmdc closure on rikers island

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Statement from gabriel sayegh, Co-Founder & Co-Executive Director, Katal Center for Health, Equity, and Justice

on GMDC Closure on Rikers Island

“Mayor de Blasio is getting 2018 off on the right foot by closing GMDC on Rikers Island, and we commend him and his administration for this action. This welcome development brings into focus the larger challenge at hand: Closing Rikers Island once and for all, as quickly as possible.

To accomplish this, much more needs to be done at the city and state level to end mass incarceration in New York, including continuing to reduce the pretrial detention population on Rikers Island. We will continue to work with our partners in the city and across the state to advance the fastest closure timeline possible. And we urge Governor Cuomo to use his state of the state address tomorrow to outline the reform plan necessary to meet the governor’s stated three-year timeline to close Rikers— including reforms to bail, speedy trial and discovery practices, and parole practices.”

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