Rikers Was Never Meant to Be a Mental Health Clinic. As the Notorious Jail Closes, Here’s How New York Leaders Can Break the Cycle.
People with mental illness on Rikers are caught in a system that wasn’t designed to treat them. Now the city has an opportunity to replace it with one that centers care and dignity.
For decades, Rikers has been forced to serve as a mental health clinic—a role it was never designed to play. Now, New York City is beginning to change that. At the end of June, the New York City Department of Correction (DOC) announced the closure of North Infirmary Command on Rikers Island. It began moving incarcerated people with acute medical ne
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