DASHBOARD UPDATE: NYC Comptroller Releases New Monthly Data on Department of Correction Operations

The New York City Comptroller’s Office released its monthly update to the Department of Correction (DOC) Dashboard, available here.

Key monthly DOC metrics show:

• As of May 1, 6,024 people were incarcerated in the city’s jails, nearly double the bed capacity of the new borough-based jails intended to replace facilities on Rikers Island.
  • In April, DOC admitted 1,860 people to the city’s jails, a decline of 15 from the previous month, but DOC also discharged 1,731 people —154 fewer than in the prior month.
  • In April, the average length-of-stay dropped to 98 days—an 11 day decrease from the prior month.
• Judges assigned cash bail to over 1,000 people in March (latest data available), for the tenth consecutive month in a row.
• The number of people with serious mental illness held at Rikers declined slightly from 1,165 in February to 1,158 in March based on the available data.
• People with serious mental illness represent 19.6% of detained people.
• In March, incarcerated individuals missed their medical appointments 10,279 times—the first time this number exceeded 10,000 since May 2022.
• The average number of uniformed staff increased by 70 officers between March and April, totaling 6,591.
  • The total number of uniformed staff on sick leave continues to trend downward, declining to 596 in April.
• Violence indicators mostly decreased in April: assaults on staff decreased to 53, slashings and stabbings decreased to 19, but fights increased to 439.

“Rikers has become the de facto treatment hub for people suffering from mental illness, but it is not a therapeutic or healthcare facility. For people like Jordan Neely, who revolved in and out of the criminal legal system, Rikers is not a place where anyone gets better. Our City must build out better systems of mental health response like permanent supportive housing, which work efficiently, are more cost effective, and would allow all New Yorkers to live in dignity. In Jordan’s memory, we can build a city where people have the care, health, and safety that they need and in turn, a city that is safer and more compassionate for all of us,” said Comptroller Brad Lander.