New York City mayoral candidate Andrew Cuomo says he wants to save Rikers Island, the notorious jail complex that has become a symbol of dysfunction in the city's criminal justice system.
The city is legally required to shutter its jails on Rikers and replace them with four smaller, more modern jails by 2027 under a plan approved by the City Council six years ago. Officials at the time wanted Rikers gone for several reasons: It is crumbling, costly, plagued by violence and far from the courthouses where its inmates need to be transported regularly.
