Advocates rallied at City Hall Park ahead of Mother's Day
weekend to show their support for incarcerated mothers who won't be
spending the holiday with their children.
Kelly Bream was detained at the Rose M. Singer Center and says
very little has changed at the women's facility at Rikers Island since she was incarcerated.
“No resources, no resources for reentry. We were
voiceless,” Bream said.
Council Member Sandy Nurse, who represents District 37 in
Brooklyn, says she knows many women from East New York and Brownsville
who are currently detained at the female facility.
“We heard from inmates on different floors where there wasn't a
correctional officer for a week. There are floors where people have COVID and
are left together. People are not getting to their appointments on time,” said
Nurse.
Rikers Island is scheduled to close in 2027 and be replaced with
four smaller jails in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan and Queens.