As the drumbeat to shutter the city's main
jail complex on Rikers Island continues, many are imagining what could replace the exclusive gated community and the island's 413
acres.
But closing Rikers has gained political momentum over the last few days since the Council speaker, Melissa Mark - Viverito, endorsed in her State of the City address the idea of mothballing the unloved
complex that covers the more than 400 -
acre island, and replacing it with an archipelago of neighborhood
jails.