File #: Int 1242-2025    Version: Name: Establishing a coordinator of the transition to borough-based jails and a department of correction coordinator for borough-based jail transition.
Type: Introduction Status: Enacted (Mayor's Desk for Signature)
Committee: Committee on Criminal Justice
On agenda: 4/10/2025
Enactment date: Law number:
Title: A Local Law to amend the New York city charter and the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to establishing a coordinator of the transition to borough-based jails and a department of correction coordinator for borough-based jail transition
Sponsors: Sandy Nurse, Farah N. Louis, Chris Banks, Amanda Farías, Justin L. Brannan, Alexa Avilés, Carmen N. De La Rosa, Crystal Hudson, Eric Dinowitz, Erik D. Bottcher, Jennifer Gutiérrez
Council Member Sponsors: 11
Summary: This bill would require the establishment of an Office of Coordinator for Rikers Island Closure with a full-time coordinator. This new office will be responsible for coordinating actions and policies by agencies with a role in the closure of Rikers Island, including those with duties related to jail population reduction, design and construction of the borough-based jails, design and construction of outposted therapeutic housing units, correctional workforce development,and planning for the future use of Rikers Island for environmental sustainability and resiliency purposes In addition, this bill also requires the establishment of Coordinator for Borough-Based Jail Transition within the department of correction. Among other things, that position will be responsible for advising and assisting the department and developing a report with recommended reforms to staff recruitment, training, supervision, assignments, and organizational culture that can be implemented in order to improve conditions for current jail staff and people in custody and facilitate a successful transition and improve safety for jail staff and people in custody at the borough-based jails and outposted therapeutic housing units.
Indexes: Other Appointment Required, Report Required, Sunset Date Applies
Attachments: 1. Summary of Int. No. 1242-A, 2. Summary of Int. No. 1242, 3. Int. No. 1242, 4. April 10, 2025 - Stated Meeting Agenda, 5. Committee Report 4/16/25, 6. Hearing Testimony 4/16/25, 7. Hearing Transcript 4/16/25, 8. Fiscal Impact Statement - City Council, 9. Fiscal Impact Statement - OMB, 10. Hearing Transcript - Stated Meeting 4-10-25, 11. Proposed Int. No. 1242-A - 9/3/25, 12. Committee Report 9/10/25, 13. Hearing Transcript 9/10/25, 14. September 10, 2025 - Stated Meeting Agenda, 15. Hearing Transcript - Stated Meeting 9-10-25, 16. Int. No. 1242-A (FINAL), 17. Int. No. 1242-A - Fiscal Impact Statement - City Council, 18. Int. No. 1242-A - Fiscal Impact Statement - OMB
Date Ver.Prime SponsorAction ByActionResultAction DetailsMeeting DetailsMultimedia
9/10/2025ASandy Nurse City Council Sent to Mayor by Council  Action details Meeting details Not available
9/10/2025ASandy Nurse City Council Approved by CouncilPass Action details Meeting details Not available
9/10/2025*Sandy Nurse Committee on Criminal Justice Hearing Held by Committee  Action details Meeting details Not available
9/10/2025*Sandy Nurse Committee on Criminal Justice Amendment Proposed by Comm  Action details Meeting details Not available
9/10/2025*Sandy Nurse Committee on Criminal Justice Amended by Committee  Action details Meeting details Not available
9/10/2025ASandy Nurse Committee on Criminal Justice Approved by CommitteePass Action details Meeting details Not available
4/16/2025*Sandy Nurse Committee on Criminal Justice Hearing Held by Committee  Action details Meeting details Not available
4/16/2025*Sandy Nurse Committee on Criminal Justice Laid Over by Committee  Action details Meeting details Not available
4/10/2025*Sandy Nurse City Council Referred to Comm by Council  Action details Meeting details Not available
4/10/2025*Sandy Nurse City Council Introduced by Council  Action details Meeting details Not available

Int. No. 1242-A

 

By Council Members Nurse, Louis, Banks, Farías, Brannan, Avilés, De La Rosa, Hudson, Dinowitz, Bottcher and Gutiérrez

 

A Local Law to amend the New York city charter and the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to establishing a coordinator of the transition to borough-based jails and a department of correction coordinator for borough-based jail transition

 

Be it enacted by the Council as follows:

 

 

Section 1. Chapter 1 of the New York city charter is amended by adding a new section 20-s to read as follows:

§ 20-s. Office for coordination of the transition to borough-based jails. a. Definitions. For purposes of this section, the following terms have the following meanings:

Coordinator. The term “coordinator” means the coordinator of the office for coordination of the transition to borough-based jails.

Correctional health services. The term “correctional health services” has the same meaning as set forth in section 9-108.

b. The mayor shall establish an office for coordination of the transition to borough-based jails. Such office may be established in the executive office of the mayor or may be established as a separate office or within any other office of the mayor, other than the office of criminal justice. Such office shall be headed by a full-time coordinator, who shall be appointed by the mayor.

c. The coordinator shall have the power and duty to:

1. Advise the mayor regarding the cessation by the department of correction of housing incarcerated individuals in jails located on Rikers Island in accordance with section 4-215 of this code and the transitioning by such department to housing incarcerated individuals in jails other than jails located on Rikers Island;

2. Coordinate actions and policies among agencies with a role in such transition, including any agency with duties related to jail population reduction, design and construction of jails that are not located on Rikers Island, recruitment and retention efforts for correction officers, and planning for the use of any portion of Rikers Island for environmental, sustainability, or resiliency purposes after the cessation of housing incarcerated individuals in jails located on Rikers Island;

3. Review and provide recommendations regarding any request relating to the budget for any program or activity related to the cessation of housing incarcerated individuals in jails located on Rikers Island and the transition to housing incarcerated individuals in jails other than jails located on Rikers Island; and

4. Serve as chair of the interagency working group established pursuant to subdivision d of this section.

d. The mayor shall establish an interagency working group to provide recommendations to the mayor, or to any agency affected by the cessation of housing incarcerated individuals in jails located on Rikers Island and the transition to housing incarcerated individuals in jails other than jails located on Rikers Island, about such transition, including recommendations for coordination of actions and policies among agencies with a role in such transition by the coordinator, as set forth in paragraph 2 of subdivision c of this section. In addition to any staff within the office for coordination of the transition to borough-based jails, any head of an agency or office that serves on the interagency working group pursuant to paragraph 1, 2 or 3 of this subdivision may provide staff of such agency or office to assist the interagency working group in developing any such recommendations.

1. Such interagency working group shall consist of the coordinator, the speaker of the council or such speaker’s designee, and the heads of the following agencies or offices or their designees:

(a) The department of citywide administrative services;

(b) The department of correction;

(c) Correctional health services;

(d) The office of criminal justice;

(e) The department of design and construction;

(f) The department of health and mental hygiene;

(g) The office of management and budget;

(h) The police department; and

(i) The office of long-term planning and sustainability.

2. The coordinator may invite to participate as a member of the interagency working group established pursuant to this subdivision the heads of the following agencies, or their designees:

(a) The department of education; and

(b) The health and hospitals corporation.

3. Upon request of the coordinator, the interagency working group established pursuant to this subdivision shall include the heads of the following agencies or offices, or their designees:

(a) The office of chief medical examiner;

(b) The department of probation;

(c) The department of environmental protection;

(d) The office of the sheriff; and

(e) Such other agency or office within the office of the mayor as the mayor shall determine.

4. No later than May 1, 2026, the interagency working group shall submit to the mayor and the speaker of the council and post on the city’s website a strategic planning report with recommendations relating to the cessation of housing incarcerated individuals in jails located on Rikers Island and the transition to housing such individuals in jails other than jails located on Rikers Island, including, but not limited to, any programmatic and budgetary recommendations; a projected timeline for constructing and opening jails other than jails located on Rikers Island; and any recommendations, including proposed implementation timelines, for the prospective use of any portion of Rikers Island for environmental, sustainability, or resiliency purposes after the cessation of housing incarcerated individuals in jails located on Rikers Island.

5. Following the submission and posting of such strategic planning report, the interagency working group shall meet no less than once every 2 months and shall submit to the mayor and the speaker of the council and post on the city’s website quarterly updates describing any progress toward adoption or implementation of any of the recommendations set forth in the strategic planning report.

§ 2. Chapter 1 of title 9 of the administrative code of the city of New York is amended by adding a new section 9-175 to read as follows:

§ 9-175 Department coordinator for borough-based jail transition. a. The commissioner shall establish the full-time position of department coordinator for borough-based jail transition.

b. The department coordinator for borough-based jail transition shall:

1. Advise and assist the department regarding the cessation of housing incarcerated individuals in jails located on Rikers Island and the transition to housing incarcerated individuals in jails other than jails located on Rikers Island;

2. No later than May 1, 2026, submit to the mayor and the speaker of the council, and post on the department’s website, a report with recommendations for any reforms relating to staff recruitment, development and retention; safety and security within jails; and department operations and organizational culture to improve conditions for department staff and persons in custody. The report shall include an assessment of the feasibility of using a jail located on Rikers Island to evaluate potential changes to department policies and procedures. To the extent practicable, the department coordinator shall seek and incorporate feedback on such recommendations from department staff and persons in custody;

3. Every 6 months following the submission and posting of such report, submit to the mayor and the speaker of the council, and post on the department’s website, any updates describing any progress toward adoption or implementation of any of the recommendations set forth in the report;

4. No later than November 1, 2026, submit to the mayor and the speaker of the council a staffing report for each jail on Rikers Island, which shall include, but need not be limited to, information on the uniformed and civilian staff needed to operate each type of housing unit in such jail, provided such staffing report shall not include any information that, in the judgment of the department, would compromise the safety or security of any person in custody or department staff; and

5. No later than August 1, 2027, submit to the mayor and the speaker of the council a staffing report for each jail other than a jail located on Rikers Island, provided that, where lack of design information or other circumstance prevents the development of such staffing report by such date, the department coordinator shall submit such staffing report to the mayor and the speaker of the council as soon as practicable. Such staffing report shall include, but need not be limited to, information on the uniformed and civilian staff needed to operate each type of housing unit within such jail, provided such staffing report shall not include any information that, in the judgment of the department, would compromise the safety or security of any person in custody or department staff.

§ 3. This local law takes effect immediately, and expires and is deemed repealed upon the transfer, pursuant to section 4-215 of the administrative code of the city of New York, of charge and control of all portions of Rikers Island to the commissioner of citywide administrative services. Upon such transfer, the mayor shall notify the city clerk for the purpose of transmitting notice of such expiration and repeal to the New York state legislative bill drafting commission in furtherance of effectuating section 70-b of the public officers law, and the mayor shall notify the corporation counsel for the purpose of effectuating section 7-111 of the administrative code of the city of New York. Any failure to provide a notification described in this section shall not affect the effective date of any provision of this local law.

 

 

 

 

 

JW

9.2.25 702

LS 19301

4/2/25