COMMUNITY OFFICE: CHAIR

71-19 80TH STREET, SUITE 8-303
GLENDALE, NY 11385
TEL: (718) 366-3900
FAX: (718) 326-3549
CITY HALL OFFICE:
250 BROADWAY, SUITE 1765
NEW YORK, NY 10007
TEL: (212) 788-7381
FAX: (212) 227-7164
EMAIL: ecrowley@council.nyc.gov
ELIZABETH S. CROWLEY
FIRE AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE SERVICES
COMMITTEES
CIVIL SERVICE AND LABOR
THE COUNCIL OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
CULTURAL AFFIARSM LIBRARIES AND
THE CITY OF NEW YORK INTERNATIONAL INTERGROUP RELATIONS
MENTAL HEALTH, DEVELOPMENTAL
DISABILITY, ALCOHOLISM, DRUG ABUSE

WEBSITE: www.council.nyc.gov/crowley AND DISABILITY SERVICES

COUNCIL MEMBER, 30TH DISTRICT, QUEENS
WOMENS ISSUES

October 2, 2017

Hon. Bill de Blasio

Mayor, City of New York
City Hall
New York, NY 10007

Dear Mayor de Blasio:

We are writing as elected representatives in the borough of Queens to urge your

consideration to locate a new community-based jail at the site of the former Queens Detention
Complex in Kew Gardens as part of a citywide alternative to the Rikers Island jail complex.

As you know, the Independent Commission on New York City Criminal Justice and
Incarceration Reform (Lippman Commission) proposes replacing Rikers Island with a
borough-based model of jail facilities situated in downtown civic centers and adjacent to existing
court infrastructure. This, the Lippman Commission report states, would reduce an estimated $31
million in annual transportation costs and increase accessibility for inmates, their families and
jail staff. At the same time, these centrally-located facilities will help eliminate the current
barriers to rehabilitation posed by Rikers isolation and disrepair, including inmates access to
legal counsel, mental health services and medical care.

Should this plan be implemented, we believe that the Queens Detention Complex located
adjacent to the Queens County Courthouse is the ideal location to house the boroughs detention
population. The former jail meets the primary criteria outlined in the Lippman plan: it is centrally
located in a civic center, it is connected to the courts, and with the proper capital investment it
can be functional for this use. The center was originally built for this purpose and for many years
operated with little incident to the surrounding community. At the same time, selecting this
facility would avoid the fraught process of placing community jails in residential neighborhoods
throughout the borough, a move that we as lawmakers committed to the goals of the Lippman
Commission forcefully oppose.

Therefore, we urge you to commit to selecting the Queens Detention Complex as the
preferred location for our boroughs reduced detention population should Rikers Island be
closed. How we implement our criminal justice system is a reflection of the values and character
of our society. By committing to closing Rikers and replacing it with this more equitable
borough-based solution, we can ensure that New York continues to serve as a beacon of justice
and progressive values for the country and world.

We thank you in advance for your prompt attention and response to our request.

Sincerely,

Elizabeth S. Crowley
Chair, Fire and Criminal Justice Services Committee
Council Member, 30th District, Queens

Karen Koslowitz Costa Constantinides

Council Member, 29th District, Queens Council Member, 22nd District, Queens

Donovan Richards Barry Grodenchik

Council Member, 31st District, Queens Council Member, 23rd District, Queens

Peter Koo Rory I. Lancman

Council Member, 20th District, Queens Council Member, 24th District, Queens

2
Jimmy Van Bramer Daniel Dromm
Council Member, 26th District, Queens Council Member, 25th District, Queens

Julissa Ferreras-Copeland Antonio Reynoso

Council Member, 21st District, Queens Council Member, 34th District, Queens

cc: Acting Commissioner Cynthia Brann, New York City Department of Correction
Melissa Mark-Viverito, Speaker of the New York City Council
Derrick D. Cephas, Acting Chair of the New York City Board of Correction
Hon. Jonathan Lippman, Chairman of the Independent Commission on New York
City Criminal Justice and Incarceration Reform