Opinion: We must address the mental health care needs of people leaving Rikers

Last November, New Yorkers were shocked and horrified by Ramon Rivera’s killing spree. Rivera was a homeless man with a long criminal record who suffered from schizophrenia. Within a month of leaving the Rikers Island mental health ward, Rivera killed three random New Yorkers. We believe that this tragedy was preventable with early and comprehensive intervention. 

Upon release in October 2024, Rivera was only required to see a caseworker twice a month and advised to go see a mental health professional, but he was not mandated for ongoing care at Bellevue Hospital and had to sleep in a men's shelter. When Rivera missed his third check-in on Nov. 11, 2024, just a week before the stabbings, the social service provider Center for Alternative Sentencing and Employment Services had 21 days to search for him before having to report him missing to the courts. Such an outrageously long waiting period just allows a person with serious mental health issues to spiral further into crisis.

Rivera’s case is the worst possible outcome resulting from incomplete services for previously incarcerated individuals with serious mental health issues. Rivera needed supportive housing with daily check-ins to ensure he was taking his medication, attending his appointments and making decisions that would help him move his life forward. Anyone who needs mental health care knows the struggle of getting prescriptions filled and appointments made with health professionals. Now imagine trying to do this while also trying to find housing, access to food and transportation and a stable source of income after exiting the correctional system. For previously incarcerated individuals, doing this while maintaining consistent treatment is incredibly challenging.

We should be providing supportive housing to justice-impacted individuals with mental health needs instead of allowing them to enter the destabilizing environment of a shelter. Mental health issues, especially when substance abuse is a factor, exponentially increase the difficulty of this challenge, and people with mental health diagnoses face an increased risk of recidivism when they lack access to care.  According to the Corporation for Supportive Housing, in a comparative study, individuals who did not enter supportive housing upon release had a 40% higher rate of returning to jail than those who got supportive housing. 

Additionally, by reducing recidivism, the state saves a significant amount of money. In 2023, the Independent Budget Office calculated that the Department of Corrections spent $629 per incarcerated individual per day, which is nearly $230,000 annually.  DOC spending totaled $1.4 billion in 2023.

Furthermore, our communities benefit when incarcerated individuals reintegrate. These folks deserve compassion and to be provided with the tools to succeed post-incarceration. 

The current system is deeply broken, and by failing to provide pathways to effective treatment post-incarceration, we are failing our city.  If, moving forward, we ensure that people leaving Rikers are provided with supportive housing and a comprehensive discharge plan – with a caseworker who follows the formerly incarcerated person closely to provide support and ensure they have stable housing, take their medication, and get ongoing care – then we will help them and make New York safer for all of us.