HelpNAMI-NYC Responds to Mayor Mamdani’s Announcement to Move Individuals with Serious Mental Illness from Rikers to Therapeutic Care
New York, NY, April 13, 2026 – The National Alliance on Mental Illness of New York City (NAMI-NYC) welcomes Mayor Mamdani’s announcement to shift individuals with serious mental illness and complex medical needs out of Rikers Island and into therapeutic care settings.
For far too long, jails have functioned as the default response to a mental health crisis, resulting in worsening symptoms, delayed treatment, and individuals left to navigate a system that was never designed to support recovery. Rikers is not a place established for care. This shift reflects a growing recognition that mental illness is a health issue that requires a compassionate response.
Moving individuals into therapeutic care settings where they can access appropriate medical and mental health services is a meaningful step toward treating people with dignity. It also aligns with established public health evidence: people do better when they receive timely, coordinated care in environments designed for recovery. For individuals with serious mental illness, especially those with co-occurring medical conditions, access to consistent, high-quality care can make a profound difference in both short- and long-term outcomes.
The success of this approach will depend on thoughtful implementation and sustained investment. These settings must be adequately staffed, grounded in trauma-informed care, and connected to strong discharge planning and community-based supports. This is one piece of a much larger system of transformation. Reducing the number of people with mental illness in our jail system requires investing upstream, expanding access to mental health care, strengthening our crisis response, and building out community-based services.
This is a meaningful step in the right direction. NAMI-NYC is encouraged by this progress and remains committed to working alongside City leaders, providers, and advocates to ensure it leads to real, lasting change for individuals and families across New York City.
To learn more or join us in our advocacy work, visit www.naminyc.org/advocacy.