North Infirmary Command closes as NYC continues push to shut down Rikers Island
The closure marks the third Rikers facility to be transferred to the Department of Citywide Administrative Services, following portions of the Anna M. Kross Center and the George Motchan Detention Center.
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New York City officials on Monday announced the permanent closure of the North Infirmary Command on Rikers Island, marking another step in the city's long-term effort to close the jail complex.
The nearly 100 people who had been housed at the medical facility have been transferred to therapeutic units at Bellevue Hospital, where city officials said they will receive more specialized care for complex medical needs.
"It represents moving to the future to help build lives who come into our care," Department of Corrections Commissioner Stanley Richards said during Monday's announcement.
The North Infirmary Command opened in 1932 and could house more than 220 people at full capacity. City leaders said the aging and deteriorating building was no longer suitable for use.
"We experience this cycle of trauma because the facilities don't speak life into people. They are old and dilapidated," Richards said.
The closure marks the third Rikers facility to be transferred to the Department of Citywide Administrative Services, following portions of the Anna M. Kross Center and the George Motchan Detention Center.
Despite the milestone, city officials acknowledged they will not meet the legally mandated August 2027 deadline to close Rikers Island because the four planned borough-based jails have not yet been completed.
"Ground is broken. Contracts are in place. There was recently the topping out ceremony at the Brooklyn jail, which is the farthest along," said Dana Kaplan, the city's Close Rikers Czar.
City Council Member Selvena N. Brooks-Powers said discussions are already underway to establish a new timeline.
"The deadline that's been established by law is not feasible at this time," Brooks-Powers said. "The council has already been having conversations with the administration and advocates to determine what a realistic timeline will look like."
As officials work to establish a revised timeline, they said addressing the Department of Corrections' staffing shortages will also be critical to the transition.
"We will lay out a staffing plan that would allow us to staff the facilities adequately enough, so we have our posts covered," Richards said. "As you know, we're recruiting officers."
Officials also said they are exploring the creation of additional therapeutic housing units at hospitals in the Bronx and Brooklyn. Once Rikers Island is fully closed, the city's long-term vision is to redevelop the site into an environmentally sustainable space.
