Rikers Island closure provokes fierce debate at planning commission hearing | Curbed New York

At a lengthy, and at times raucous, City Planning Commission hearing on plans to replace the infamous Rikers Island with four new borough-based jails, New Yorkers scrutinized the future of the city’s criminal justice system.

The de Blasio administration’s proposal to replace the jail complex drew dozens of detractors and supporters to the Wednesday hearing, the latest step in the months-long land use review process. The more than six hours of testimony delved into the intricacies of an undertaking that would swap Rikers for new facilities in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx, in an effort to create a smaller, more humane system for detainees. Keep reading.