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Rafael Mangual\xa0and\xa0Seth Barron\xa0discuss plans to close the jail complex on Rikers Island, home to the vast majority of New York City's inmate population,\xa0including some of the city\u2019s worst offenders.

Violence on Rikers has spiked in recent years, despite a marked decline in the city's inmate population. Last year, approximately 9,000 people were held on the island on an average day.\xa0According to the city\u2019s own reporting, a larger share of inmates in Rikers are now "more violent and difficult to manage."

The city is committed to closing\xa0Rikers\xa0and moving all inmates to county-based jails. Both critics and\xa0supporters of the plan agree that facilities on the island are outdated and dangerous--for prisoners and guards alike.

Rafael Mangual is the deputy director for legal policy at the Manhattan Institute.