Keeping Rikers Open by Improving Safety Conditions​

Sliwa will keep Rikers Island open, closing it would be a disaster for public safety, leading to unworkable borough-based jails that lack capacity and security.

• Renovate Rikers and improve conditions while ensuring it remains a secure and controlled facility.

• Ensure proper staffing levels,hiring more correction officers and ensuring they have the support, training, and resources needed to do their jobs effectively.

 

Restoring Safety & Order in All NYC Jails

• Roll back the punitive segregation ban, as segregation is necessary for controlling violent inmates and maintaining order inside the jail. Removing it has led to an increase in inmate-on-inmate violence and attacks on correction officers.

• Segregate gang members inside jails to prevent organized violence, ensuring that criminal enterprises cannot continue their operations from inside city jails.

• End early release policies for violent offenders. Violent criminals must serve their full sentences instead of being let out early to commit more crimes.

• Expand use-of-force protections for COs ensuring correction officers have the legal and procedural backing to take action against violent detainees.

 

Ensuring Stronger Protections for Correction Officers

• Hold violent detainees accountable for attacks on officers, Curtis will push for harsher penalties for inmates who assault correction officers.

• Restore disciplinary tools that allow COs to maintain safety and security inside jails.

• Reform the DOC’s Trials Division, this division should focus on serious misconduct, not minor infractions that occur because the job of a correction officer is tough. Instead of wasting resources on trivial internal discipline cases, the division should prioritize addressing egregious violations and real corruption.

 

Implementing Common-Sense Reforms for Jail Security

Curtis will make CO recruitment a priority.

• Increase recruitment and retention efforts for correction officers, officers are leaving at record rates due to poor working conditions and low morale.

• Expand mental health treatment for inmates, too many mentally ill individuals are placed in general population without the care and supervision they need.

• Increase surveillance and security measures inside Rikers, including more CCTV coverage, body cameras, and technology upgrades will help deter violence and hold bad actors accountable.

 

Curtis Sliwa will not allow Rikers to close. He will fight to restore order and safety inside NYC jails, and will ensure correction officers get the respect and support they deserve. NYC must fix its broken jail system, not abandon it. Curtis Sliwa has a plan to do so.