no new jails

In his decision, Judge Kelley noted said the de Blasio administration neglected to take a "hard look" at the potential public health impact of the jail.

It was a financial calamity of the magnitude the City is now facing that thwarted an earlier effort to sell Rikers Island to the state in the late 1970s.

'The era of mass incarceration is over. Over!'

The plan to shut down Rikers Island by 2026 and replace it with four new jails is poised to pass.

Monday's protests had a renewed sense of urgency: stop the city's plan to build four new jails.

Thursday's hearing was expected to be the last opportunity for the public to speak on the controversial plan before the decisive City Council vote.

Prison abolitionists admit they aren’t offering a plan to shutter New York’s jails tomorrow. But they see enough promise in alternatives to incarceration to hope a jail-free New York could become a reality.