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Contact: media@vera.org

NEW YORK, NY – As New Yorkers prepare for the upcoming mayoral election, the Vera Institute of Justice released a bold, evidence-based report today designed to guide the next administration in building a safer, fairer city. This report presents five big ideas popular with New York City voters and grounded in evidence for what the next mayor should do to deliver more safety, accountability, and justice.

Improving public safety in New York City requires a comprehensive approach that prevents crime before it happens and strengthens communities. Reflecting these values, Vera’s report urges mayoral candidates to tackle key priorities that include reducing gun violence, improving subway safety, fostering better policing, and closing Rikers Island. Among its proposed solutions are delivering an unprecedented investment in the city’s community-based crisis response infrastructure, creating a more accountable police force, and committing to permanently close the Rikers Island jail complex.

“Mayoral candidates whose primary answer to concerns about crime is more police, prosecution, and incarceration are missing the mark with New York City voters,” said Alana Sivin, director of Vera’s Greater Justice New York (GJNY) initiative. “Vera polling shows that voters are concerned about crime and, by almost 20 percentage points, they favor a comprehensive approach to preventing crime, responding to crisis, and stopping violence over going back to tough-on-crime policies. By prioritizing evidence-based solutions and responsibly addressing the specific needs of New York City’s diverse communities, the next mayor can bring into being a city where safety, justice, and accountability go hand in hand.”

Vera’s mayoral platform lays out a clear, research-driven strategy for reducing crime, strengthening community well-being, and making New York City a national leader in effective public safety policies. The platform proposes 5 big ideas:

IDEA #1: Invest in the full range of public safety tools to prevent crime, respond to crises, and stop violence.

• Deliver an unprecedented investment in the city’s infrastructure of community-based crisis response, treatment, and services.

• Double funding for proven community-based interventions to expand programs to neighborhoods in need.

• Expand access to vouchers and supportive housing programs. The lack of housing leads to many New Yorkers cycling in and out of jail. A stable home is essential to breaking that cycle.

• Build better physical infrastructure to make the city safer.

IDEA #2: Deliver better, more effective, and more accountable policing.

• Save costs and improve efficiency by civilianizing the police force for specific functions, such as transit and traffic enforcement, investigations, community engagement, forensics, and internal affairs.

• Focus on serious crime and limit low-level enforcement, especially on the subways.

• Improve training and implement culture change from the ground up.

• Fully fund and staff the Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB) and require adherence to its disciplinary recommendations.

• Seek community input and build trust by increasing transparency.

IDEA #3: Make the subways safer by comprehensively addressing the daily signs of crisis and neglect.

• Expand street-based programs to the subway.

• Create drop-in centers at subway stations and direct police to hand off situations to specialized outreach teams.

• Upgrade platforms and entrances.

• Make the subway affordable for all New Yorkers.

IDEA #4: Improve the shopping experience for both workers and consumers.

• Curb organized retail crime by supporting laws that would require high-volume third-party sellers to report the suspected resale of stolen goods.

• Work with businesses and improvement districts to implement best practices in training and operations to reduce theft.

• Support our neighbors in need to break the cycle of shoplifting and crime.

IDEA #5: Close Rikers Island and implement a new approach to accountability and safely reducing the jail population.

• Triple investments in restorative justice and diversion programs that break the cycle of crime and turn people’s lives around.

• Create programs with wraparound services for people who have been repeatedly arrested.

• Appoint a Rikers czar to oversee the process, work with the court-appointed federal monitor, and assemble a team to focus on all aspects of Rikers Island closure.

• Commit to an aggressive but achievable timeline for finishing the new jails.

• Safely reduce the jail population to below 4,000.

• Improve immediate conditions at Rikers Island for everyone.

“Millions of New Yorkers rely on public transit to get home everyday, whether it be from work or school or any corner of our great city,” said Betsy Plumm, Executive Director of Riders Alliance. “Just as we have fought to make public transit more accessible for all New Yorkers, we are in the fight to make these spaces more safe, a priority that our next mayor must share. We know that is no easy task and it will take deep investments and partnerships across housing, healthcare, and public safety. For candidates interested in aligning their campaigns with a safer tomorrow for NYC public transit, this platform is a powerful resource.”

“We know that economic justice and workers rights are inseparable from the future of public safety in New York City,” said Joseph Azzopardi, Business Manager-Secretary Treasurer, International Union of Painters and Allied Trades of District Council 9. “Mayoral candidates must make strong commitments to advancing solutions proven to keep workers safe, communities safe, and all New Yorkers safe. Our strong membership is empowered by the promise of city leadership that joins us in making our neighborhoods, justice systems, and places of work more fair and more free, and these policies have the power to deliver just that.”

"Now more than ever, New Yorkers deserve leaders who will be steadfast in their commitment to making our City a place where everyone is safe and has their basic needs met. We are grateful for Vera's leadership in proposing actionable solutions to achieve real safety for everyone," said Ana María Archila, New York Working Families Party Co-Director.

“Our communities deserve more than fearmongering. We are entitled to real solutions that have real positive impacts on our neighborhoods," said Chris Alexander, Executive Director, NAACP New York State Conference. "Public safety is a prime consideration for all candidates seeking support this cycle. This platform provides political hopefuls with smart, results-based solutions that rectify racial disparities and move us all forward.”

For more information and to read the full mayoral platform, visit: https://www.vera.org/publications/2025-new-york-mayoral-platform

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About Greater Justice New York (GJNY)

The Greater Justice New York (GJNY) initiative at the Vera Institute of Justice works to transform New York’s criminal legal system by advancing policies that promote safety, fairness, and community well-being. Through rigorous research, advocacy, and direct engagement with policymakers, GJNY fights for solutions that reduce harm, end mass incarceration, and ensure a more just future for all New Yorkers.

About the Vera Institute of Justice

The Vera Institute of Justice is powered by hundreds of advocates, researchers, and policy experts working to transform the criminal legal and immigration systems until they’re fair for all. Founded in 1961 to advocate for alternatives to money bail in New York City, Vera is now a national organization that partners with impacted communities and government leaders for change. We develop just, antiracist solutions so that money doesn’t determine freedom; fewer people are in jails, prisons, and immigration detention; and everyone is treated with dignity. Vera’s headquarters is in Brooklyn, New York, with offices in Washington, DC, New Orleans, and Los Angeles. For more information, visit vera.org.