Mamdani transfers vacant Rikers Island facilities, restarting dormant piece of jail’s closure plan

Mayor Zohran Mamdani's administration transferred the vacant North Infirmary Command and portions of two other Rikers Island facilities from the Department of Correction to the Department of Citywide Administrative Services, advancing New York City's plan to close Rikers Island and replace it with a borough-based jail system. The move marks the first such transfer since 2021 and follows the opening of a therapeutic housing unit at Bellevue Hospital to house detainees with medical and mental health needs.