200+ Rikers Inmates To Be Moved To Bedford Hills Facilities

BEDFORD, NY — More than 200 women and trans-identified inmates will be transferred from Rikers Island to state-run facilities, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced this week.

This latest effort will brings the total number of Rikers detainees transferred to state custody to more than 350. The move will relocate nearly all women and trans-identified inmates off of the infamous New York City island jail, where 12 prisoners have died so far this year.

On Tuesday, Hochul announced the agreement between the state and City of New York to transfer nearly all women and trans-identified inmates currently incarcerated on Rikers Island to two state-run facilities in Bedford Hills. The Bedford Hills Correctional Facility and the nearby Taconic Correctional Facility are both operated by the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS).

"The situation on Rikers Island is grave and complex, and thus requires bold action from all levels of government to deliver change," Hochul said announcing the initiative. "I am especially heartened that the State is able to assist some of the most vulnerable populations on Rikers and today, I am proud to announce the State's agreement with the City to temporarily move the majority of these populations off Rikers and into safer State facilities ... These actions will further help ease staffing concerns, capacity constraints, and improve safety for several hundred detainees until such time that the City can identify and implement a permanent solution that will bring justice to the situation at Rikers."

According to the plan, the New York City Department of Corrections (DOC) will begin to transfer inmates to the two facilities starting the week of October 18. The transfers will occur twice per week, starting with 10 to 20 prisoners being relocated during each transfer. Officials agreed that no detainees with any pending immigration-related matters will be transferred.

"New York City is committed to forging a fairer, more humane justice system," Mayor Bill de Blasio of the move. "Our reform efforts on Rikers Island have made encouraging progress, and our borough-based jails plans are moving forward and will fully transform this system - but there is no substitute for immediate support from our State partners at this critical moment in time."

Governor Hochul previously announced an agreement with the NYS DOCCS and the city to allow for inmates who have been sentenced to at least ninety days to be transferred from Rikers Island to New York State facilities. A total of 143 male inmates have been already transferred from Rikers to New York State facilities.

The governor noted that Bedford offers specialized services for female and trans-identified inmates. The long list of new programs inmates will have access to include academic education, vocational training, transitional services, volunteer services, alcohol and substance use services, including Medicaid Assisted Treatment (MAT), college programs, aggression replacement training, Trauma, Addiction, Mental Health and Recovery (TAMAR) services, gender-informed cognitive behavior programming and a nursery.

Any inmates currently receiving hormone replacement therapy at Rikers will continue to receive this treatment at the Westchester facilities.

Officials said the DOC will provide daily transportation from New York City to the facilities in Westchester for family members and loved ones of detainees, beginning Friday, October 22. There will be one pick-up location in The Bronx, Manhattan, Queens, and Brooklyn each. Buses will pick up visitors from each location twice a day.