Rikers Island and Mental Health: Pathways Toward Community-Based Diversion and Jail Population Reduction
As New York City works toward its mandate to close Rikers Island, addressing the mental health needs of people detained in the jail system remains a central challenge—and a defining opportunity for reform. Developed by the Data Collaborative for Justice at John Jay College and the Katal Center for Equity, Health, & Justice, this report brings together the latest mental health data for people held at Rikers, lived-experience insights from directly impacted people, and a 15-point plan to create a more effective and humane path forward.
Grounded in evidence, the report aims to:
- Present updated data on the nature and scale of mental health needs among people held in the NYC jails.
- Give a voice to the people behind the numbers through select first-person accounts that highlight systemic gaps and unmet needs.
- Identify a continuum of safe and effective jail diversion strategies that can reduce the jail population while strengthening care, stability, and long-term public safety.
Taken together, this report offers a roadmap to reduce the number of people with serious mental health needs detained at Rikers and to strengthen NYC’s continuum of care.
Read the Report
On Thursday, January 15, we held a one-hour public webinar on this report. We dived into the data, lived-experience insights, and key policy recommendations focused on reducing reliance on jail while strengthening community-based mental health care.