Social Links
As New York City works toward its mandate to close Rikers Island, addressing the mental health needs of people in the jail system remains a defining challenge—and a critical opportunity for reform. That’s why the Data Collaborative for Justice at John Jay College and the Katal Center for Equity, Health, & Justice published this new report – Rikers Island and Mental Health: Pathways Toward Community-Based Diversion and Jail Population Reduction.
This report, published in November 2025, 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.
On January 15, 2026, DCJ and Katal hosted a public webinar about the report. This one-hour session covered:
- Updated data on the nature & scale of mental health needs among people detained at Rikers
- A first-person account revealing the human impact of inadequate mental health care while detained
- Treatment Court Expansion Act information and how to get involved
- Key policy recommendations, including a 15-point plan to strengthen community treatment and reduce unnecessary detention.
Watch the Webinar
