TESTIMONY
Yonah Zeitz, Director of Advocacy at the Katal Center for Equity Health And Justice, on the Crisis at Rikers Island and the Urgency of Its Closure
5:17:29
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3 min
Yonah Zeitz advocates for the immediate closure of Rikers Island, critiquing the high costs of incarceration and the mayor's budget allocations.
- Zeitz highlights the fiscal irresponsibility of over $550,000 per person per year for incarceration at Rikers Island.
- Criticizes the mayor's proposed budget for exceedingly funding the Department of Corrections while cutting funding for alternatives to incarceration.
- References reports supporting the closure of Rikers Island due to potential savings for city taxpayers.
- Urges the New York City Council to take steps towards Rikers Island's closure, including budget cuts for incarceration and maintaining investments in public safety.
- Calls for action with Resolution 186, which seeks a federal receiver to address the crisis at Rikers and improve conditions.
Yonah Zeitz
5:17:29
Thank you, chair nurse and members of the community for holding this budget here in today.
5:17:32
My name is Yona Zites, and I'm the other director of advocacy at the Ketal Center for Equity Health And Justice this.
5:17:39
And we submit this testimony today to bring your attention to the crisis at Rykers and the need to immediately shutter the notorious and torturous jail complex.
5:17:48
Yorkers across the city, including our members, are deeply concerned about what's unfolding at Rykers, and they're also concerned about its enormous fiscal costs.
5:17:55
As we've heard repeatedly today, the cost of incarceration at Ryker's is over $550,000 a person per year, which is over $1500 a day.
5:18:05
And so why are we why are libraries, universal pre k, summer youth program, educational programs, and other central services being cut while the city continues to successfully fund incarceration at this deadly jail complex.
5:18:19
As a lot of folks have said, the mayor's proposing a very bloated an excessive $2,600,000,000 budget for the DOC in fiscal year 25, while also cutting $28,000,000 in alternatives to incarceration to provide release and reentry services.
5:18:33
And we know alternatives to incarceration work.
5:18:36
They are much cheaper, and diversion options are available right now to reduce the jail population.
5:18:41
The reports by the Littmann Commission and the Institute for State And Local Government have found that the closure of Rikers Island will save city taxpayers $1,300,000,000 annually even after accounting for the implementing costs of the plan.
5:18:55
Yet, we have a mayor with a Jill First approach that is costing taxpayers 100 of 1,000,000 of dollars while threatening the closure of Rykers.
5:19:03
As many of you all know in the room, For for over 2 decades, the population of Rygers was actually generally on a downward trend.
5:19:10
But since the mayor took office, he's worked to reverse that and he's been successful.
5:19:14
There were about 5000 people in city jails when the mayor took office, and today there are more than 62100 people in city jails.
5:19:21
And they're not done.
5:19:22
The previous DOC commissioner told the council that they are planning for the Joe population to hit 7000 by the end of the year.
5:19:29
And it's been said that budgets are moral documents that reflect priorities, and the mayor's budget is morally bankrupt and shows that he completely intends to keep privateers open.
5:19:38
Adding another eight hundred people to the city's jails will, using these figures, cost nearly half a $1,000,000,000.
5:19:45
This is outrageous, irresponsible and could be untenable to the plan to close strikers.
5:19:49
We urge members of the New York City Council to take drastic steps to get the city back on track fulfilling its commitment to close riders.
5:19:57
We we have 3 points.
5:19:58
First, cut the budgets used for cagey people.
5:20:00
The DOC's budget is bloated, wasteful, and must be cut.
5:20:04
The city must also cut the number of people incarcerated at Rykers through increasing funding for ATI's, surprise release, emergency services.
5:20:11
And second, The closer of Rikers is not just a moral and legal imperative, but given the extraordinary savings that that can be realized, it's a fiscal imperative for the city.
5:20:19
So the council must pass a budget that advances efforts to shutter the notorious jail complex.
5:20:23
And third, we must maintain investments and things that we know actually produce real public safety, housing, health care, education, and jobs.
5:20:31
And finally, with regards to Rykers and the human beings detained there and working there, There's one more thing the council can do right now, which is to pass Resolution 186, which calls for a federal receiver.
5:20:44
While the council continues to work for fighting for a budget that will allow all New Yorkers to thrive, we urge the council to take immediate action to relieve the suffering of hikers by passing this resolution, This resolution is a concrete step.
5:20:55
This council's gonna take right now to address the crisis at Rutgers.
5:20:58
And until Rutgers is closed, there must be immediate action to improve conditions, save lives, and invest in alternative decarceration and other noncarsal solutions that are proven to increase public safety.
5:21:08
Thank you.