Jeremy Travis, President of John Jay College, was named as a member of the Research and Learning Advisory Group to help implement the roadmap to closing Rikers Island. Mayor de Blasio launched the “Smaller, Safer, Fairer: A Roadmap to Closing Rikers Island,” 18 concrete steps the City is taking now to make it possible to close Rikers Island and replace it with a smaller network of modern, safe, and humane facilities. As noted in the announcement from the Office of the Mayor. The initiative includes a roadmap, a Justice Implementation Task Force, and $30 million in new investments to drive progress towards closing Rikers Island.
To ensure effective implementation of the roadmap, the Justice Implementation Task Force will coordinate the work of the many groups inside and outside of government, including government agencies, service providers, and community representatives, that are vital to achieving a smaller, safer and fairer jail system. Working groups will focus on safely reducing the jail population; improving culture for both staff and incarcerated individuals; and designing and siting safe, modern and humane jails. The Research and Learning Advisory Group includes President Travis, Bruce Western, Daniel and Florence Guggenheim Professor of Criminal Justice, Harvard Kennedy School, and Emily Wang, Assistant Professor at the Yale School of Medicine and Co-Founder of the Transitions Clinic Network.
"Closing the jails on Rikers Island is an important milestone in the work to improve fairness in New York City's criminal justice system," said President Travis. "New York City has already made great strides in reducing crime and incarceration, and I look forward to working with the Justice Implementation Task Force to reduce both even further as we implement the plan to close Rikers Island."
Read the complete announcement from the Office of the Mayor.
