No New Jails NYC is a now-defunct left-of-center activist group in New York City that sought to close the Rikers Island Prison and, instead of building new prisons, abolish incarceration altogether. It also sought to implement community and social-worker alternatives to law enforcement. Part of the group’s collapse seems to stem from intersectional feuding regarding accusations the group’s leadership was not properly dealing with sexual harassment, was putting emotional labor on Black women, and was traumatizing activists by attempting to work with the state to effect change. ^{1 2 3 4}

Background

In 2018, the New York City government announced a plan to build four new jails in the city and to eventually close the Rikers Island jail complex. No New jails NYC was formed in the fall of 2018 to mobilize opposition to the plan and to stop the plan entirely through various bureaucratic land-use approval processes. ⁵

These efforts ultimately failed, as plans have proceeded for the construction of the four new facilities to replace Rikers Island, which was mandated by court order to close by 2027. ⁶

Organization Philosophy

No New Jails NYC advocated radical changes to the New York City criminal justice system. Among these changes, it called for the immediate closure of Rikers Island, with no replacement prisons to be constructed. Additionally, it called for an end to pre-trial detention and for a massive multi-billion-dollar budget transfer from police and prison budgets to fund free housing, education, mental health resources, and end bail. It also calls for a mass firing of the police workforce with a one-to-one replacement for hiring non-police mental health and various other community service workers. In addition to armies of new social workers, the group’s official plan called for community members, faith-based institutions, and people like crossing guards to instead adopt the functions of police. ^{7 8}

Partner Organizations

No New Jails NYC lists partnerships with a variety of left-of-center organizations. Some of these include Critical Resistance, the Black Alliance for Just Immigration, Survived and Punished, Black and Pink, The Audre Lorde Project, the Sylvia Rivera Law Project, Decolonize this Place, Code Pink, and the Party for Socialism and Liberation NY. ⁹

No New Jails NYC is also listed as an organization worthy of support by Dorrance Dance, the controversial left-of-center dance group that filmed a music video at the White House in December of 2023. ¹⁰

Infighting

As of early 2024, No New Jails NYC appears to be defunct. The organization’s website did not have any news updates after August 12, 2019, and the organization’s latest press release was dated December 14, 2019. ^{11 12}

This collapse seems to in part stem from infighting and scandal over sexual abuse allegations against people involved in the project. As of 2024, the organization’s last-dated post is from July 19, 2020, with the authors, identified only as “Some former core organizers of NNJ NYC.” The authors issued an apology in which the authors berated themselves for numerous activist sins. These sins ranged from failing to implement human-resource procedures, enabling abuse, foisting emotional labor onto Black women and femmes, and traumatizing organization members by seeking to work with the government in order to affect change. After this post, the organization appears to have ceased all activity, despite pledges to implement various changes going forward. ¹³

Leadership

There is no leadership identified on the organization’s website, and the letter apologizing for various intersectional and human resources-related failures is anonymous. ¹⁴

1. “Background.” No New Jails NYC. Accessed February 19, 2024. https://www.nonewjailsnyc.com/background.
2. “No New Jails NYC.” No New Jails NYC, July 19, 2020. https://www.nonewjailsnyc.com.
3. “Close Rikers Now, We Keep Us Safe.” No New Jails NYC. Accessed February 19, 2024. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1NPW9cNv6AsbKYF_se4d8lIHQ5cyHOvOx/view?usp=drive_open&usp=embed_facebook.
4. “Guide Executive Summary.” No New Jails NYC. Accessed February 19, 2024. https://www.nonewjailsnyc.com/new-page-1.
5. “Background.” No New Jails NYC. Accessed February 19, 2024. https://www.nonewjailsnyc.com/background.
6. Akinnibi, Fola. “New York City’s $3 Billion Replacement for Rikers Island Jail Is Two Years Behind Schedule.” Bloomberg.Com, March 13, 2023. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-03-13/new-york-city-s-3-billion-replacement-jail-is-two-years-behind-schedule.
7. “Close Rikers Now, We Keep Us Safe.” No New Jails NYC. Accessed February 19, 2024. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1NPW9cNv6AsbKYF_se4d8lIHQ5cyHOvOx/view?usp=drive_open&usp=embed_facebook.
8. “Guide Executive Summary.” No New Jails NYC. Accessed February 19, 2024. https://www.nonewjailsnyc.com/new-page-1.
9. “Partners.” No New Jails NYC. Accessed February 19, 2024. https://www.nonewjailsnyc.com/partners.
10. “Anti-Racism: Action for Justice & Change.” Dorrance dance. Accessed February 19, 2024. https://www.dorrancedance.com/anti-racism-action-for-justice-change.
11. “News Coverage.” No New Jails NYC. Accessed February 19, 2024. https://www.nonewjailsnyc.com/news.
12. “NoNewJailsNYC.” Medium. Accessed February 19, 2024. https://medium.com/@nonewjails.ny.
13. “No New Jails NYC.” No New Jails NYC, July 19, 2020. https://www.nonewjailsnyc.com.
14. “No New Jails NYC.” No New Jails NYC, July 19, 2020. https://www.nonewjailsnyc.com.