Dear New Yorkers, 

The federal government just moved closer to appointing a third-party receiver to take over management of Rikers Island. After a hearing this afternoon, a federal judge set a briefing schedule to hear arguments, the next step in what is a long and onerous process toward change.  

For many months, I have been calling for the appointment of a federal receiver to implement safety and accountability reforms in New York City jails. Time and time again, the Department of Correction has proven unwilling or unable to overhaul jail operations on its own — from failing to report the deaths of people in custody, to reducing the Board of Correction’s access to camera footage and timesheets. 

That’s why, one year ago in August 2022, the Office of the Comptroller launched a Department of Correction’s (DOC) Dashboard to publish monthly statistics on management and operational issues to monitor the ongoing crisis in city jails. In a new video, our Director of Policy Analytics Robert Callahan explains how the dashboard seeks to provide much-needed, increased transparency. 

After a year of closely monitoring the Department’s performance, this much is clear: Without dramatic changes to management, dysfunction and violence at Rikers will persist. As our Safety & Justice Organizer Khalil Sulker explains in our latest video, without real change the costs of injustice and mismanagement to New Yorkers, their loved ones, and our city will only grow. 

Our new report on the state of New York City jails summarizes findings from the past year in the state of the jail system and the agency’s operations. A review of the trends over the past year indicates that: 

• While slashings, stabbings, and assaults against staff trended downwards in recent months after peaking in 2021, fights spiked significantly and incidents of excessive use of force remain alarmingly high. 

• One-in-five people in custody have a serious mental illness with the number of incarcerated people with serious mental illness doubling since before the pandemic. 

• People in custody missed 21% more medical appointments than in August 2022, as of the most recently available data. 

• While staff sick time usage declined from a dramatic peak in 2021, on average 17% of staff are reportedly out sick or on leave on any given day. 

• Monthly overtime earned per employee skyrocketed from approximately $1,500 per month before the pandemic to $4,200 as of June 2023. 

• DOC has 9% fewer staff since August 2022, but the ratio of DOC uniformed staff to people in detention is nearly four times the national average. 

• The jail population grew to nearly double the planned capacity of the borough-based jails, which intend to replace Rikers Island facilities, raising concerns about the City’s plans to close Rikers Island, consistent with local law. 

The Comptroller’s Office will continue to publish available monthly metrics on jail conditions and operations to the dashboard and push to obtain additional data to provide greater oversight of city management of the jail system. Watch our new video to learn more about accountability at Rikers.

Thanks, 

Brad