Mayor Adams visits Rikers Island (photo: Michael Appleton/Mayor's Office)

August 19, 2022 - Experts Call for a Federal Receiver for Rikers Island

New York City criminal justice system veterans Elizabeth Glazer and Vincent Schiraldi joined the show to discuss their experience working in city government, the crisis at Rikers Island jails and what do about it and other problems plaguing the city's larger safety ecosystem.

Listen to the conversation and let us know what you think, on Twitter @TweetBenMax. You can listen

(photo: Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office)

How should police respond when someone is drinking a beer in the street, dropping litter, or engaging in other minor offenses? Up until a year ago, a criminal summons was the only answer, and if the person didn’t show up in court, he or she could be arrested on a warrant.

As a result, New Yorkers had as much contact with the system for low-level offenses as for serious crimes.

Consider that in the first half of 2017, there were 112,000 criminal summonses compared to 98,000 misdemeanor arrests

What's The [Data] Point? Episode 52 -- 5,000, with Liz Glazer, Director of the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice [You can download What's The [Data] Point? wherever you get your podcasts, including on iTunes]

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Jail space rendering via "Justice in Design"

The first part of the plan is clear: the jails on Rikers Island will be closed. Less