In a detailed statement annotated with references to 13 different reports, data sources and articles, the New York City Bar Association on Tuesday forcefully argued in favor of the city’s plan to shut down Rikers Island and replace it with multiple borough-based jails, writing in part that “the very location of Rikers—on an island in the East River that is isolated and difficult to access—impedes the fair and efficient administration of justice.”

“A one-hour visit by an attorney can take all day,” the bar association wrote, adding, “Defenders often have to choose between visiting a single client at Rikers and working on cases for their dozens of other clients, people to whom they also owe a duty.”