United States · New York · East Elmhurst, NY
Data is aggregated from public sources and may be incomplete or out of date. Always verify with primary sources before acting on any figure. See data sources.
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Ten-jail complex on a 413-acre island in the East River. NYC's main jail; subject to federal monitoring since 2015 and a court-ordered closure plan with a target date of 2027.
Capacity
15,000
Current population
6,300
Occupancy
42%
Year opened
1932
Closed 2005
Figures from official sources · verified 20 May 2026 · methodology
Operator
NYC Department of CorrectionPopulation held
mixed
Opened
1932
Region
New York
Security level
Mixed
Death-row facility
No
Aging complex of 10 jails on a single island. Documented violence, slashings, and staff shortages. NYC has committed to closing Rikers by 2027.
Twice-weekly visits, scheduled online via DOC visitor portal. Government ID required. Wait times of 4+ hours common.
Inmate Name, NYSID #, Housing Area, 11-11 Hazen Street, East Elmhurst, NY 11370. No polaroids or stickers.
Money via JPay or MoneyGram. Bond/bail processing at Manhattan Criminal Court window.
Federal monitor since 2015 (Nuñez consent decree). 19 deaths in custody during 2022. US Attorney has sought receivership.
Sandra Bland's brother (Geneva Reed-Veal litigation); Tupac Shakur (1995); Sid Vicious (1979).
Derived signal — not a judgement. How it's calculated
What the score is responding to:
This facility scores 40. The national average across 7,437 scored United States facilities is 2 — 38 points above national average.
Population and occupancy by year. Source: official corrections statistics + oversight reports.
Population held
Occupancy %
Same country, matched on type + security level where possible.
Higher risk than 100% of peer facilities in United States.
Judge Laura Taylor Swain ruled the DOC in contempt and ordered a remediation manager — a step short of receivership but unprecedented in scope.
Federal monitor's 13th report finds 'staggering' levels of violence and staffing failures; recommends federal receivership of NYC DOC.
How many of our profile fields are populated. We surface this so families and researchers know the limits.
Under CC-BY-4.0. Include the URL and access date; the site is a living reference and entries can change.
World Prisons. (2026). Rikers Island. Retrieved July 21, 2026, from https://worldprisons.com/prisons/rikers-island
"Rikers Island." World Prisons. Accessed July 21, 2026. https://worldprisons.com/prisons/rikers-island.
@misc{worldprisons-rikers-island,
author = {{World Prisons}},
title = {Rikers Island},
year = {2026},
url = {https://worldprisons.com/prisons/rikers-island},
urldate = {2026-07-21}
}