Zohran Mamdani complains about Eric Adams' tough-on-crime policies, vows to reduce jail population

Socialist candidate for New York City Zohran Mamdani has complained that too many people are being kept in New York City's Rikers Island, a jail complex in the Big Apple that keeps many suspects charged with heinous crimes, and ripped into Eric Adams for increasing the jail population. Mamdani also came out in favor of abolishing the NYPD's gang database.

"The jail population of Rikers has increased since Eric Adams has come into office by more than 1,000 additional incarcerated New Yorkers. And what is quite staggering to me is that we know that we can reduce that jail population to less than 4,000," Mamdani said during a sit-down with Spectrum News NY1.

Mamdani then said that the jail facility could be lowered to 3,700, and complained about wanting more reforms to get people out of Rikers and keep the suspects in the jail system for a shorter amount of time.

"There are more than 1,500 people on Rikers who have been held there for more than a year, so I do think many of the reforms that have to be made are also reforms around the court system and ensuring that people are actually having speedy trials."

Mamdani then vowed that if he were elected, he would reduce the jail population on Rikers to be in line with a law that will go into effect in 2027 to close the jail.

During the same interview, Mamdani also vouched for abolishing the NYPD's gang database, and alleged that New Yorkers get placed on the database for going "out late" and for the "photos they put on social media."

He also expressed skepticism that metal detectors would provide safety in schools, citing concerns from parents who say that when children go through the detectors, they feel worse about themselves in comparison to schools without metal detectors. Throughout his answers to questions, he consistently spoke about increasing resources for "social workers" and "mental health" professionals to handle some criminal situations, something that has been characteristic of the defund the police movement.

Mamdani, however, did not advocate for cutting back police budgets specifically, but said that the city would be getting more revenue under his administration, although Mamdani has previously expressed support for defunding the police.