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December 13, 2017The Future of NYC Jails—Closing Rikers Island and Beyond
New York City is at a pivotal moment, with the opportunity to change its approach to correctional facilities. There is consensus among the community, stakeholders, and political bodies that the Rikers Island Jail complex is a jail of the past and not appropriate for today’s changing jail population and criminal justice philosophy. With growing support to close Rikers Island, the future of NYC jails must encompass a holistic and humane approach to the larger justice system in order to accommodate the current and future inmate population with a focus on best practices and modern, state-of-the-art justice facilities.
Architecture for Justice
Among the action items outlined in AIA New York's September 2020 position statement on the Criminal Justice System was the re-envisioning of the AIANY Architecture for Justice Committee. The newly launched committee will develop programming and advocacy to help mitigate the intrinsic racism within the American criminal justice system, with a particular focus on exploring architecture’s role in oppression. We anticipate that the committee’s efforts will explore how architecture and architects can affect broader social justice goals.