Support local news today!

Our nonprofit newsroom relies on readers like you to power investigations like these.

Join the community that powers NYC’s independent local news.

Before you go… Follow us on Google News

for all things NYC.

When Andrew Cuomo was governor, he pushed then-Mayor Bill de Blasio to speed the shutdown of jails on Rikers Island.

He insisted the 10-year closure plan was too long and that the plethora of problems facing the city’s Correction Department demanded a more urgent approach.

Now, he has a different idea. On Tuesday, Cuomo announced that he would scrap closing Rikers entirely if he is elected mayor, citing cost overruns and delays in design and construction.

“The writing is on the wall: it promises to be New York City’s Big Ditch,” he told those gathere

See Full Page