SURVIVORS OF RIKERS, DIRECTLY IMPACTED FAMILIES, AND ALLIES RALLY BEFORE CITY COUNCIL BUDGET HEARING TO DEMAND A BUDGET THAT SUPPORTS CLOSING RIKERS
As the City Council prepared to convene their criminal justice budget hearing, members of the Campaign to Close Rikers rallied at City Hall, urging city leaders to deliver a budget that paves the way to closing Rikers. The Campaign is calling on Mayor Mamdani and the City Council to move resources from the Department of Correction to crucial community investments like supportive housing, community-based treatment, alternatives to incarceration, and reentry programs.
The cost of detaining one person at Rikers Island for a year was approximately $485,000 in Fiscal Year 2025. With four deaths at Rikers since he assumed office, including two in a 24-hour span in May, Mayor Mamdani has consistently voiced his commitment to meeting the legal obligation to close Rikers. His Executive Budget includes some key steps toward reining in jail operation costs, including cutting 586 vacant DOC positions that will free up $78M in next year’s budget. But even with this reduction, DOC will still have nearly 4 times more officers per incarcerated person than the average US jail system. Greater investment in proven community resources can expedite closure of Rikers by reducing the number of people who are sent there. Examples include Intensive Mobile Treatment (IMT) teams, Forensic Assertive Community Treatment (FACT) teams, and housing for people with serious mental illness who are returning from Rikers, as well as ATI and reentry programs through the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice (MOCJ) to produce evidence-based models for serving people with mental health and housing needs.
”Every New Yorker deserves safety, dignity, and a fair opportunity to thrive," said NYC Council’s Committee on Criminal Justice Chair Selvena N. Brooks-Powers. “Unfortunately, this is not the reality for many involved in the city’s criminal justice system. The City has a legal responsibility to close Rikers, which requires aligning our budget with this goal. Today's executive budget hearing is an important opportunity to assess whether our investments reflect our values. I appreciate the administration’s increased funding for alternatives to incarceration and reentry programming, but we must continue to evaluate if these resources are sufficient to meet the city’s growing needs. As Chair, I am proud to join survivors, families, advocates, and community leaders in calling for a budget that supports the closure of Rikers Island."
“It is past time we close Rikers,” said Council Member Tiffany Cabán. “Each day we delay is a day longer that we expose our neighbors to the human rights disaster that is Rikers while denying our communities the resources needed to truly be safer. This executive budget is a step towards reducing DOC’s bloated budget and investing in resources that help rather than criminalize people. But there’s still so much work to do to deliver on programs that will enable us to invest in health, safety, and stability for all New Yorkers.”
“I want to commend Mayor Mamdani on the progress that has been made in this executive budget toward closing Rikers. The appointment of a Close Rikers Czar and cutting tens of millions of dollars in wasteful spending from DOC indicates a renewed commitment to fulfilling the legal mandate to Close Rikers. However, more work is needed to meet the August 2027 deadline. The administration must invest more in faster construction of borough-based jails and fulfilling the Points of Agreement. In District 8, this means fully funding the Youth Hub, providing the promised HRA building for youth court services, and all other commitments made by the city. Only then can we close Rikers equitably and transition to a true community-centered justice system,” said Council Deputy Whip Elsie Encarnacion.
The jails that sit on Rikers Island stands today as a monument to the failures of our city’s criminal justice system, which in too many cases has not generated anything close to justice for anybody and instead has separated Black and Brown families and torn communities apart. In order to build a better system where due process is applied, people are rehabilitated, and trauma is reduced instead of created, we must continue advancing decarceration efforts that safely reduce our reliance on incarceration and reserve detention for those who truly pose a threat to public safety," said Council Member Justin E. Sanchez.
“We’ve seen some real progress in the executive budget, particularly in addressing DOC budget waste and starting to rightsize their staff as we prepare to close Rikers. But DOC is still budgeted for four times more staff than the national average. We’re here today to call on the City Council and Mayor Mamdani to build on this important step by moving more money into the programs that can prevent and reduce incarceration,” said Freedom Agenda Co-Director Darren Mack. “Mayor Mamdani has indicated that he’s serious about following the legal and moral mandate to close Rikers. This includes funding the things that keep communities safe, like community-based mental health treatment, housing, and services for people coming home.”
Vidal Guzman, Executive Director of America On Trial said, “Closing Rikers Island must be paired with real investment in the communities most impacted by incarceration. Public safety comes from mental health care, housing, education, alternatives to incarceration, and strong reentry support — not punishment.”
“The Fortune Society is a proud member of the Alternative to Incarceration (ATI)/Reentry Coalition,” said Ronald F. Day, Chief Operating Officer of The Fortune Society. “Together with our partners, we play an irreplaceable role in advancing true community safety. The City must invest in what works to safely reduce the population on Rikers Island: well-resourced, holistic, evidence-based services delivered by trusted community-based organizations. We are encouraged by the proposed reduction in correctional staff in the Executive Budget and hope the final budget reflects a meaningful shift of resources into a broad array of community-based care, supports, and services, including those provided by ATI/Reentry Coalition members. For a fraction of the cost of incarceration on Rikers, we provide a lifetime commitment of services to individuals, help rebuild family connections, and strengthen our communities.”
“The recent deaths at Rikers are a tragic reminder that our city must move with greater urgency toward safer, more effective approaches to justice. We know that community-based solutions, including Alternatives to Incarceration (ATI) and reentry programs, deliver stronger outcomes for individuals while making our neighborhoods safer and stronger. The Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice (MOCJ) has already established effective pathways for serving individuals with mental health and housing needs that are more effective, less costly, and far more humane than detention. Now is the time for Mayor Mamdani and the City Council to deepen their commitment to public safety by increasing investment in the solutions we know work: expanded mental health services, affordable housing, alternatives to incarceration, and comprehensive reentry programs. A safer New York City is built not through incarceration alone, but through strategic investments in people, services, and opportunities that promote long-term stability and success,” said Rita Taddonio, Interim Executive Director of Providence House.
Jonathan Chung, Director of Public Policy & Advocacy, National Alliance on Mental Illness of New York City (NAMI-NYC) said, “Too many New Yorkers living with mental health conditions cycle through a system that relies on incarceration instead of treatment. Rikers Island is the largest psychiatric care facility in New York, which is a shameful indictment of how our current mental health care system is still failing to meet the needs of so many New Yorkers. We must prioritize investing in community and peer-based services that put people and recovery first. Every New Yorker deserves dignity, proper care, and the opportunity to receive support in their community.”
For more information consult the Campaign to Close Rikers Budget Analysis
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