Mayor Zohran Mamdani says he is committed to closing Rikers Island, which is legally mandated to shut its doors by August of next year.
On Tuesday, he tapped Dana Kaplan as the city’s new “close Rikers czar” to orchestrate the closure of the jail complex and oversee the construction of four new borough-based jails near courthouses.
She joined NY1 political anchor Errol Louis on “Inside City Hall” to talk about the role.
“Unfortunately, under the last administration, we did not see the type of prioritization or urgency to close Rikers Island that was required to move this plan ahead. And so I think where we are right now is a result of that,” she said. “That’s why I’d say it’s pretty exciting that Mayor Mamdani has appointed me as the ‘close Rikers czar’ to essentially work with all of the different city leaders and agencies that are going to be responsible executing this plan to move it ahead as quickly as absolutely possible.”
Tap the video player above to watch the interview.