Photo: Stock Unsplash
March 23, 2020 By Michael Dorgan
Mayor Bill de Blasio said Monday that the city is considering releasing “hundreds” more inmates to slow the spread of coronavirus at its prison facilities.
The move comes after the mayor announced last week that 40 inmates from Rikers Island were set to be released on Friday. On Sunday he announced a further 23 prisoners from the city’s jail system were to be let out.
“There’s another group of about 200 inmates we’re reviewing today with the NYPD,” de Blasio said, noting that he is looking to release hundreds of inmates.
The inmates being released are said to have health issues– or are old– making them particularly vulnerable should they contract novel coronavirus. Most have a low-risk of re-offending, de Blasio said.
Inmates who are very close to the end of their sentences are also being considered, he said.
“Those are the categories we’re looking at and we’re going to announce day by day the number of people we think is appropriate and there’s going to be some people it obviously will not be appropriate to release, and we’re going to try and strike that balance,” he added.
The NYPD and the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice are making the recommendations that must be signed off on by the relevant district attorney.
There are over 5,000 inmates in New York City’s jail system, de Blasio said, half the number from six years ago.
Among them is Oscar-winning movie producer Harvey Weinstein who has tested positive for the coronavirus.
Weinstein, 68, who was at Rikers has been moved to the state’s maximum-security Wende Correctional Facility in Western New York. He is one of two Wende inmates who have tested positive, officials said.
Weinstein was at Rikers Island after being handed down a 23-year sentence for rape and sexual assault in February.
The City announced Sunday that 29 inmates and 17 Department of Correction employees at Rikers have tested positive for coronavirus.
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6 Comments
There is only ONE REASON why De Blasio is itching to release Rikers prisoners. In order to shut Rikers down completely, the number of prisoners must be low.
This is what all the no-bail bs is all about, as well.
Quarantine them on Rikers! There is enough room there.
Situation on Riker’s Island is ridiculous right now and they want to release inmates so the rest of society can be infected?
https://www.zerohedge.com/health/situation-rikers-island-unimaginably-bad-covid-19-tears-through-prison
Voting has been postponed. Releasing prisoners from Rikers?! All NYC progressive council aka socialists USING the coronavirus outbreak to continue pushing their agenda. Asking 12 BILLIONS from the federal government to “fight” the virus is a disguise to take more money for themselves, everyone remember Puerto Ricos “democratic”government when they hid much needed supplies? Where did all that money go?! Not too much news reporting as usual when it comes to the progressive Democratic Party, it’s either squashed or barely talked about.
I want to remind everyone to VOTE TODAY.
Jim Quinn is the ONLY candidate AGAINST closing Rikers.
He warned the Mayor not to release prisoners because crime would
shoot up. The Mayor ignored him, and crime went up 20%.
Quinn is also the only candidate who wants to attract business to Queens.
He’s brilliant, but few in Queens even know about him, so every vote
will count.
If they get sick and they are confined in the prison system it is better than asking a criminal to be on the honor system of confining themselves at home since they’ve already proven to be criminals who cannot control their actions. Contain The Strain!