Mayor Eric Adams says one of the four new community jails that were being built to replace Rikers will now be dedicated to inmates with mental health issues.
The new facility will be part of the solution to closing Rikers Island.
Adams has tapped his new First Deputy Mayor Randy Mastro to build the new jail for those with mental health issues.
It comes as a new report released this week by an independent commission empaneled by the City Council said a new place is necessary because there’s no way Rikers could close by August 2027 as scheduled.
“It was a flawed plan previously, and we have to be honest about those 51% that are dealing with mental health issues, 20% are severe, and start talking about one of those jails, as I stated, turning into a state-of-the-art mental health facility,” Adams said.
There has been intense community opposition to the new jails planned for Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan and the Bronx.
“We are open to solve the problem”
So where would the jail that’s dedicated to mental health be located?
“That’s part of the conversation. We are open to solve the problem, and we’re not going to dig in to just one place and be closed minded,” Adams said.
People with mental health issues are a huge problem for the Correction Department. Of the roughly 7,100 inmates on Rikers, 3,870 people have mental illness, and 1,400 have severe problems, according to the independent commission.
“That’s why we need the forward thinking of someone like Randy,” Adams said.
“I think everyone is starting to face certain realities and acknowledge certain facts, and we have to use our common sense,” Mastro said.
It’s not the first time Mastro has faced big challenges. Back in 1995, when he was a deputy mayor under Rudolph Giuliani, he was tasked with ridding Fulton Fish Market of organized crime. Adams calls him a proven fighter.
