Reaching a new ‘milestone’ in Mamdani’s close-Rikers plan is no reason to cheer

Mayor Zohran Mamdani is bragging that efforts to shut down the Rikers Island jail complex just reached another “milestone.” Forgive us for not popping any champagne corks: Alas, the mayor still has no plan for where all the inmates will go when it does close.Last week, Mamdani announced the transfer of three unused Rikers buildings, including a shuttered infirmary, from the Department of Correction to the Department of Citywide Administrative Services.This “milestone,” he boasted, “brings us closer to ending” Rikers’ operation, though he conceded the shutdown plan won’t meet its 2027 deadline.The mayor knows state law prevents jails from closing...