NEW YORK — New York City faces an urgent and narrowing timeline to close the jails on Rikers Island by Aug. 31, 2027, according to a new report by the Data Collaborative for Justice at John Jay College. The report warns that the jail complex has evolved into a crisis-driven mental health facility, stating, “Today, Rikers is the largest mental health facility in New York City and among the largest in the country.”
Since April 2020, the jail population has risen from 3,809 to nearly 7,000, creating growing concerns for incarcerated people with serious mental health needs.
The Data Collaborative for Justice states three goals of its research: to provide updated mental health data, reveal the individuals behind the statistics, and “identify a continuum of safe and effective jail diversion strategies for this population.”
The report notes a significant increase in incarcerated individuals requiring mental health care, rising from 40% to 60% of people in New York City jails, with 22% diagnosed with a serious mental illness.
People incarcerated at Rikers also face severe medical challenges. As of September 2025, 28% of those held in custody were diagnosed with lung disease, 15% with cardiovascular disease and 8% with neurological disease. The DCJ also found that “people were produced for only 53% of scheduled mental health appointments.”
The report highlights stark inequities based on gender. Among nearly 500 women incarcerated as of October 2025, 87% required mental health services, compared to 58% of men. DCJ determined that people requiring mental health treatment “had been held for 281 days, compared to 212 days for people not needing such services.”
The City’s plan to close Rikers has stalled due to rising jail populations, construction delays and missed deadlines. The report states, “Even after discounting temporary effects of a State prison staffing shortage in preventing timely jail-to-prison transfers, the City’s jail population would still have climbed to about 6,800,” with 85% of people detained pretrial and legally presumed innocent.
The DCJ stresses the need for expanded community-based treatment options. Judges reported they would release more people “if they had confidence that suitable community-based treatment options existed. Yet, especially for people with a severe mental illness or co-occurring mental health and drug disorders, current community options are insufficient.”
The Data Collaborative for Justice recommends increasing mental health courts, expanding residential treatment beds — particularly for individuals with co-occurring disorders — and using opioid settlement funds to support these strategies.
The DCJ at John Jay College emphasizes that effective collaboration among courts, service providers and city agencies is critical. The report identifies key priorities including rapid clinical assessments, strong community linkages and avoiding unnecessary supervision. Expanding community-based treatment and opening long-promised hospital beds are urgent steps the authors say are necessary to reduce the jail population and provide humane, effective care for individuals with mental health needs.
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