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TESTIMONY

Darren Mack, Co-Director of Freedom Agenda, on the Necessary Closure of Rikers Island and Reducing the Department of Correction Workforce

5:09:27

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Darren Mack criticizes NYC's handling of Rikers Island closure and the misallocation of Department of Correction resources.

Darren Mack emphasizes the commitment to close Rikers Island by 2027, stating it's a legal requirement due to its policy failure and the negative aspects of mass incarceration.
He highlights the issue of an excessively large DOC workforce compared to the significantly lower number of inmates, pointing out the lack of basic services provided despite the high number of officers.
Mack stresses the need to reallocate resources towards support, alternatives to incarceration, and addressing the mental health crisis instead of maintaining a large number of correction officers.
The testimony calls on the city council to take action in reassessing budget allocations and supporting the closure of Rikers to ensure safer communities without relying on mass incarceration.

Darren Mack

5:09:27

Thank you, Chad Nurse, for the opportunity to testify today.

5:09:31

My name is Darren Mac, and I'm a co director of Freedom Agenda.

5:09:34

New York City has committed to closing Reikha's Island because massive incarceration is a policy failure, and so is banishing people awaiting trial to a penal colony built on toxic land.

5:09:46

We have moved past debating if Rikers should close or can't close.

5:09:50

Rikers is legally required to close by 2027.

5:09:53

And our city budget must put all the necessary resources in place to give the support people need, close the pipelines that feed incarceration, and shift a smaller barrel jail system.

5:10:06

The average jail system in our country has one uniform officer for four people in custody.

5:10:12

If you applied that same reach yield to the current New York City jail population of about 6200 people, that would amount to 1500 the officers.

5:10:22

Instead, DOC has 6000 uniform officers and is budgeted for 7160.

5:10:28

Yet, they still aren't providing basic services with people in custody, including recreation and laundry and access to medical kit.

5:10:36

What are officers doing with their time?

5:10:39

Based on many reports from the federal monitor, they are too often responded to incidents with overwhelming force, and many are still abusing sick leave.

5:10:47

Mayor Adams budget proposal shows a plan to maintain 7000 60 uniform officers in the Department of Correction until fiscal year 20 28 when Rikers was required to close.

5:11:00

The barrel based gel system and secure hospital units even with the mayor's plan to increase the number of beds will have a maximum capacity of about 4000 people.

5:11:11

There is clearly no need for 7 1000 and 60 offices in that system, and the city could start rightsizing the DOC workforce this year by eliminating their 1450 projected vacancies.

5:11:24

You will hear the administration say they are expecting the job population to rise.

5:11:29

I can see how they would expect that when all of their policies are designed to create that outcome, including slashing 28,000,000 from alternatives to incarceration and reentry programs and refusing to fund support of housing or mental health treatment to scale despite the managed lip service addressing the mental health crisis.

5:11:50

But the mayor doesn't govern this city alone.

5:11:52

This city council knows that rackham must close, and you know that the safest communities are the ones with the most resources not the most incarceration.

5:12:01

In the full written testimony that we submit submitted, you'll see a full budget analysis from the campaign to close records.

5:12:08

Thank you.

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Joanne De la Paz from Freedom Agenda on the High Cost of Incarceration and its Impact on Community Needs

Next Chapter →

Megan French-Marcelin, Senior Director of New York State Policy, Legal Action Center on Advocacy for Alternative to Detention/Incarceration Programs and Community Reinvestment