New York City Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams argued for an investment in critical services as part of the effort to close Rikers Island. Addressing a hearing of the City Council Committee on Criminal Justice, he spoke in favor of mental health supportive programs and facilities as a means of improving safety and preventing recidivism.
In opening, the Public Advocate criticized a lack of prioritization by the administration in moving to close Rikers, saying "... It just appears that there is no real want or belief that we should close Rikers by 2027, and I think we have to at least have to get on the same page and have a plan to how to do it. Omitting it altogether is not a good move and it wouldn't be the first time the administration just skips over a law that the Council has passed.”
After noting the dangers posed to people on both sides of the bars at Rikers, the Public Advocate emphasized the need to fund, not cut, programming for incarcerated people, arguing that previous cuts by the administration have been harmful while expressing hope for the future. “While I am very heartened to see that Mayor Adams just announced $14 million in funding for DOC to increase programming initiatives for people in custody—including trauma-informed programming, transition planning, and transportation and supplemental education services—I still have some concerns about DOC’s ability to deliver that programming themselves. Still, it is a step in the right direction, and I look forward to working with the administration and the City Council to ensure that the city delivers high-quality programming to people in custody and complies with all city laws.”
Public Advocate Williams stated in closing that “Rikers Island is the largest mental health services provider in NYC, probably one of the largest in North America,” and both expressed gratitude for new hospital-based housing units opened by the administration and a need to continue this kind of investment to ultimately close Rikers and better serve New Yorkers.
Read the Public Advocate’s full statement as delivered at the hearing below.
STATEMENT OF PUBLIC ADVOCATE JUMAANE D. WILLIAMS
TO THE NEW YORK CITY COUNCIL COMMITTEE ON CRIMINAL JUSTICE
MARCH 8, 2024
Good morning,
My name is Jumaane D. Williams and I am the Public Advocate for the City of New York. I would like to thank Chair Nurse and the members of the Committee on Criminal Justice for holding this hearing.
First, I just wanted to make mention that when we heard conversation about the budget, it didn’t seem to include funding or a plan to actually close the jail, and I heard comments and issues around particularly capital funding, which makes some sense, my concern has been that –combined with things I’ve heard the administration say before, it just appears that there is no real want or belief that we should close Rikers by 2027, and I think we have to at least have to get on the same page and have a plan to how to do it. Omitting it altogether is not a good move and it wouldn't be the first time the administration just skips over a law that the Council has passed. So I’m hoping that it will be reconsidered as the conversations move forward.
The existence of Rikers right now does not make anyone—the people incarcerated there, the people who work there, corrections officers ,and residents of New York —safer. So I have always been very concerned about the violence inside our city’s jails, both against incarcerated people and correction officers and staff, however, New York City is not on track to close Rikers by 2027. As I mentioned, that is something we should at least agree upon. It’s one thing to try to execute a plan that doesn't work out, it’s another thing to say we’re not going to do the plan or present another one. Recidivism is a challenge for correction systems across the country. We should all acknowledge New York City’s high cost of living and competitive job market. It is especially difficult for those who have been justice-involved to stay out of jail.
Still, Mayor Adams last year eliminated programs that would help those who are incarcerated get jobs, find housing, receive mental health and substance use treatment, and reconnect with their families after their release to save $17 million. Subsequently, despite a promise from DOC that programming would not be lessened in either quality or frequency after being moved in-house, during the first four months of fiscal year 24, the number of group-based programming offered dropped by 29 percent and one-on-one sessions dropped by over 30 percent when compared to the first months of FY23.
While I am very heartened to see that Mayor Adams just announced $14 million in funding for DOC to increase programming initiatives for people in custody—including trauma-informed programming, transition planning, and transportation and supplemental education services—I still have some concerns about DOC’s ability to deliver that programming themselves. Still, it is a step in the right direction, and I look forward to working with the administration and the City Council to ensure that the city delivers high-quality programming to people in custody and complies with all city laws. The city should also be investing in pre-trial non-carceral services and also post-trial services and alternatives to incarceration, so fewer people enter Rikers Island in the first place and people have a better ability to assimilate into society when they leave.
Court backlogs and slow processing of cases also contributes to the rising population—detainees spent an average of 115 days in the jails last year, that is four times the national average. I’m hoping we all work on getting some speedy trials and getting folks out of there. Across the city’s jails, 86.6 percent of people are just waiting for their cases to conclude, and their sentences ultimately may require less jail time than what they served waiting for those cases to resolve. We must ensure that cases and trials are being processed in a timely manner. There is data that also shows the longer someone is on Rikers, the more likely they may be involved in something violent.
In 2021, it cost $1 million for every two people incarcerated at Rikers Island—one of the most expensive jail systems in the country—yet the conditions in the jails remain abysmal. Being incarcerated takes a significant toll on a person’s physical and mental health, and many people on Rikers Island have complex health needs that require specialized care, particularly mental health. There is a significant shortage of health staff, often with one healthcare professional making rounds in multiple units. Rikers Island is the largest mental health services provider in NYC, probably one of the largest in North America.
This week, Mayor Adams announced that the city construct outposted therapeutic housing units at NYC Health + Hospitals/Woodhull and North Central Bronx, and that it has started constructing a 104-bed unit at NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue, so that incarcerated people in need of care do not have to travel back and forth for treatment. These units are for people with medical, mental health, and substance-use needs, and I applaud this investment in care for some of our most vulnerable New Yorkers.
My hope is that this is a direction that we can begin to go in, make sure people have the care they need, getting people, less people in Rikers, getting people what they need in Rikers and having more ability to get them out on the right path hopefully we can all work on that together. Thank you for the opportunity to speak.
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