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Taking Stock of Close Rikers: Updates on the Campaign to Close Rikers Island Jails and the Borough-based Jail Plan

Hosted by Students for Ending Mass Incarceration and the Wagner Diversity Council
A Powering Structural Change conference Event

Join NYU Wagner Students for Ending Mass Incarceration for a panel discussion about updates on the campaign to close Rikers Island Jails and the borough-based jail plan. For decades, Rikers has suffered from disinvestment, resulting in individuals sitting in pretrial detention for up to two years. These delays leave incarcerated people in limbo, exacerbate mental health illnesses, and expose them to violence. Despite plans to close Rikers in 2027, Rikers remains open today and immediate work must be done to meet the minimum standard of care for incarcerated persons who are housed there - 90% of whom are people of color. This panel brings together survivors of Rikers, organizers, activists, and former government officials to discuss the campaign to close Rikers as it relates to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and what steps can be taken until Rikers is closed.

This panel will include:
- Darren Mack, Co-Director at Freedom Agenda
- Reverend Sharon White-Harrigan, Inaugural Executive Director of the Women’s Community Justice Association (WCJA)
- Margaret Egan, previous Executive Director of the New York City Board of Correction (BOC)
- Moderator: Janos Marton, National Director of Dream Justice

Mar 29, 2023 12:00 PM in Eastern Time (US and Canada)