Rikers closure needs unrealistic cuts

New York City is legally bound to close Rikers by 2027 and replace it with smaller borough jails that require a daily population near 3,000. Even with faster case processing and further bail tweaks, analyses indicate the city cannot safely reduce the jail census to that level. The remaining gap makes the closure timeline a public‑safety and capacity problem, not just a procedural one. — If the target census is unattainable, policymakers must either expand capacity or revise closure law, reframing the decarceration debate from ideals to operational constraints.