Deputy Mayor Linda Gibbs is in charge of Health and Human Services in NYC.  She oversees all child welfare and juvenile justice programs and services in the city. She reports directly to Mayor Bloomberg.  The city has publicly announced plans to close Spofford in the near future, but no city official has stated what they plan to do with the building. The decaying facility, which was built in 1957, has a long and documented history of brutality against children. The building was poorly designed and as a result there is little space for positive programming and recreation for the youth detained there.  Young people who have been detained in Spofford report that it is infested with rodents and insects. The cost of each bed in the facility just went up to $237,615.  This money could be better spent on community based alternative programs which have much better track records for keeping youth out of trouble and safely in their communities.

Members of the advocacy community and many residents of the South Bronx applaud the city’s decision.  However, there is concern that if the building is not repurposed that the city could reopen it again as a jail or prison in the future.  This concern is based in history.  In 1998, Mayor Giuliani closed the facility, but reopened it just six months later. Please take just a moment and call Deputy Mayor Gibbs today and tell her to make sure that Spofford is closed once and for all by turning it over to the community to be positively repurposed.  To reach the Deputy Mayor’s office call 212-788-3000 and ask to be transferred to Deputy Mayor Gibbs’ office.    A short statement is provided below for your assistance.  Please call during business hours or your call will be diverted to 311.

"My name is _______.  I am calling to applaud this administration’s decision to close Spofford.  I urge you to ensure that the facility is never again used as a jail or prison for anyone by working with the South Bronx community to determine a positive use for the building. As New York City reforms its juvenile justice principles and policies, there is no room for a place like Spofford."