With an annual expenditure exceeding $2.8 billion, Rikers represents a deteriorating, underperforming prison complex that does not offer the results our society requires. There is a legal mandate and an absolute necessity to shut down this institution. However, the point of contention is whether our present and up-and-coming political leaders possess the urgency and determination to allocate the financing necessary for its closure. It is paramount that this process commences with the city budget, which has a deadline of June 30.
Rikers is a manifestation of failure in areas of public safety, financial efficiency, and morality. Its profound failure to curtail crime or rehabilitate inmates is glaringly obvious. Rikers is void of delivering any sense of justice. Astonishingly, it costs $400,000 per inmate yearly, offering an abysmal return on our investment.
An alarming statistic shows that a third of released individuals from Rikers return within a span of a year. Since 2020, Rikers has witnessed the death of over 60 detainees, with two incidents occurring just last week. The physical decrepitude is as concerning, with buildings on the brink of collapse, leaking sewage, and yielding broken, rusted debris that doubles up as weaponry.
To address these alarming issues, in March 2025, the Independent Rikers Commission unveiled ‘A Path Forward: The Blueprint to Close Rikers.’ This realistic, evidence-supported proposal outlines the necessary steps for the safe closure of Rikers, stemming from successful practices.
An immediate and vital step is to address the unnecessarily inflated prison population, which is several thousand more than required for maintaining public safety. Unsettlingly, Rikers functions as the country’s second-largest psychiatric institution, with 900 detainees annually who are so seriously mentally impaired that they cannot comprehend the court proceedings.
This practice of subjecting individuals with severe mental illnesses to the violent, dysfunctional conditions of Rikers benefits no one. Releasing these individuals back into society, often with insufficient support systems, achieves nothing. A better approach would be to add 500 secure psychiatric hospital beds outside jails and invest in established community-based mental health housing and treatment. This strategy can ensure better stability for these individuals, result in crime reduction, and consequently decrease the jail population.
Rikers primarily serves as a pretrial facility, but delays in processing cases often contribute to crowding. Victims are left in the lurch, waiting for resolution and accountability. However, a significant initiative by the state Office of Court Administration holds potential. This initiative, aiming to expedite case proceedings, could reduce the prison population by up to 2,000 individuals.
In addition to swiftly reducing the jail population, the challenges faced by the staff would be substantially alleviated, allowing them to handle violence more effectively and to provide improved treatment and rehabilitation services. Following the closure of Rikers, and the ensuing transition to the new borough-based jails and secure hospital beds, the city looks to save over $2 billion per year in operating expenses.
However, it is up to New York’s leadership to bring these solutions to fruition. Recently, there have been suggestions to ‘revisit’ the plan to close Rikers. However, all proposed alternatives thus far would require additional billions in funding and an extra decade to implement compared to the existing plan.
Meanwhile, the predominantly Black and Latino staff and incarcerated individuals—making up 85% and 89% of the population, respectively—continue to be exposed to harmful conditions. We would also continue to be subjected to the detrimental impacts of Rikers on our communities, streets, and transportation systems. Such a scenario would not only be irresponsible and financially contentious but also indefensible.
By allocating astronomical amounts to Rikers, a veritable engine of human suffering, while neglecting the relatively low-cost preventive measures, we fail past and potential victims of crimes. Our 2024 citywide survey of crime survivors underscores this point clearly: the majority of victims prefer investing in treatment, accountability, and prevention measures rather than incarceration in Rikers.
The City Council acknowledges this and has heeded our commission’s call to bolster necessary funding. Yet, the mayor has not moved towards investing in the critical infrastructure needed to tackle the cycle of crime, imprisonment, and reoffending. Due to this inaction, the city faces significant obstacles in achieving its declared goals of drastic crime and incarceration reduction.
The current scenario hinders the city’s future well-being and safety. New supportive housing options for homeless residents grappling with severe mental illness and constantly transitioning between jail and freedom have not been funded. Additional treatment beds for people diagnosed with co-occurring addiction and severe mental illness are also without funding.
Moreover, the provision of a reentry plan—an essential safety tool—for all individuals departing Rikers is neglected. Any argument against the affordability of these reforms, despite looming federal cuts, falls apart when viewed against the backdrop of Rikers’ $2.8 billion annual budget.
Ultimately, this boils down to political commitment to construct a judicial system that truly delivers public safety, justice, and accountability. We have legal consent and public backing to proceed with the closure of Rikers. However, the blueprint for this change will remain theoretical until we receive the necessary leadership support and funding. The onus is now on our elected leaders, both current and future, to take action.
The post Calls Continue to Shut Down Rikers Amidst Mental Health and Safety Failures appeared first on Real News Now.
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