New York's City Council approved a proposal to close the troubled Rikers Island prison complex on Thursday, The New York Times reports. The prison—rife with abuse, mismanagement, and neglect—would be replaced with four new jails spread out across New York City under the plan. According to the plan, prisons in Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Manhattan would be ready by 2026. Officials said the new facilities will be safer and more humane due, in part, to their reduced size compared to Rikers. The construction of the new jails and the cost of transferring the prisoners is expected to cost over $8 billion.
Read it at New York Times
