LatinoJustice Troubled by Increasing Jail Population Amid Plans to Close Rikers
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PRESS RELEASE
July 18, 2024
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LatinoJustice Troubled by Increasing Jail Population Amid Plans to Close Rikers
New York, NY – A new report by Brad Lander, New York City’s Comptroller has revealed that criminal cases in New York City are leaving thousands of individuals awaiting trial in Rikers, inflating its jail population.
LatinoJustice PRLDEF issued the following statement, which can be attributed to Andrew Case, Supervising Counsel at LatinoJustice PRLDEF:
“Most of the people at Rikers have not been convicted of anything but being too poor to make bail. The purported purpose of pre-trial detention is to ensure that people make it to their court dates but the vast majority of defendants who are not kept in jail still make it to their trials. We recognize that the courts are working to try to move trials along but with Rikers in crisis this report shows that too many people are being sent to Rikers to await trial to begin with. In order to meet the legal deadline to close Rikers in 2027, the New York Police Department, the District Attorneys, and the courts should allow more New Yorkers to live in their homes with their families while awaiting trial rather than in the horrific conditions of Rikers Island.”
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About LatinoJustice
LatinoJustice PRLDEF works to create a more just society by using and challenging the rule of law to secure transformative, equitable and accessible justice, by empowering our community and by fostering leadership through advocacy and education. For over 50 years, LatinoJustice PRLDEF has acted as an advocate against injustices throughout the country. To learn more about LatinoJustice, visit www.LatinoJustice.org