{"id":2588049,"date":"2026-04-07T12:48:54","date_gmt":"2026-04-07T16:48:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/mamdani-unveils-therapeutic-facility-to-treat-mental-health-of-rikers-inmates\/"},"modified":"2026-04-07T12:53:36","modified_gmt":"2026-04-07T16:53:36","slug":"mamdani-unveils-therapeutic-facility-to-treat-mental-health-of-rikers-inmates","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/mamdani-unveils-therapeutic-facility-to-treat-mental-health-of-rikers-inmates\/","title":{"rendered":"Mamdani unveils therapeutic facility to treat mental health of Rikers inmates"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fmamdani-unveils-therapeutic-facility-to-treat-mental-health-of-rikers-inmates%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2588049&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani unveiled a first-of-its-kind therapeutic facility to treat the mental health needs of inmates from Rikers Island. A 104-bed unit at Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan will be the first step toward closing Rikers by 2027,with two additional sites planned at NYC Health + Hospitals\/woodhull and North Central Bronx bringing total beds to about 340 by 2029. The management frames this as a shift from a punitive jail system to real medical care, citing Rikers\u2019 long-standing problems as a de facto mental health facility and noting more than 100 inmate deaths since 2015, including recent fatalities due to medical complications.Inmates with acute medical conditions and serious mental illness will be moved to Bellevue starting soon, and there is strong interest from corrections officers, with hundreds of applications for a limited number of positions. The plan, part of a broader move to replace Rikers with a borough-based jail system by a legally required deadline of August 31, 2027, requires a whole-of-government effort and has faced delays; Mamdani also criticized the prior administration\u2019s efforts and, in a broader political note, is associated with coverage of his stance on issues such as a TikTok policy.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Mamdani unveils therapeutic facility to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/california-moves-toward-giving-therapists-unconditional-power-to-emancipate-12-year-olds-from-their-parents\/\" title=\"California seeks to grant therapists unrestricted authority to &quot;emancipate&quot; 12...year...olds from their parents.\">treat mental health<\/a> of Rikers inmates<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2553734\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/new-york-city\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"286\">New York City<\/a> Mayor <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/zohran-mamdani\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"11802\">Zohran Mamdani<\/a> announced on Tuesday a new therapeutic facility that will be used to treat the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/mental-health\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"623\">mental health<\/a> of inmates from Rikers Island.<\/p>\n<p>The move marks the mayor&rsquo;s first step toward closing the notoriously brutal jail complex by next year. The therapeutic housing unit at NYC Health + Hospitals\/Bellevue in Manhattan will be one of many facilities to fill the void left by the closure of Rikers.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Opening this new clinical facility at Bellevue Hospital is how we begin to close Rikers Island &mdash; not with promises, but with action,&rdquo; Mamdani <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nyc.gov\/mayors-office\/news\/2026\/04\/mayor-mamdani-announces-opening-of-first-of-its-kind-outposted-t\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.nyc.gov\/mayors-office\/news\/2026\/04\/mayor-mamdani-announces-opening-of-first-of-its-kind-outposted-t\">said in a statement<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>&ldquo;For too long, people with serious medical needs have been left to suffer in a system that was never designed to care for them,&rdquo; he added. &ldquo;Today, we are building something different: a system that delivers real care, treats people with dignity and makes our city safer for everyone&mdash;incarcerated people, corrections officers and all New Yorkers.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>During a <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=W9M6E2EKWNA\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=W9M6E2EKWNA\">press conference<\/a>, Mamdani described Rikers as a &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >de facto mental health facility&#038;rdquo<\/a>; replete with &ldquo;calamitous and unsafe&rdquo; conditions for its prisoners.<\/p>\n<p>Illustrating the prison&rsquo;s dysfunction, he cited the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/03\/30\/nyregion\/rikers-deaths-jail-mamdani.html\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/03\/30\/nyregion\/rikers-deaths-jail-mamdani.html\">recent deaths<\/a> of two Rikers inmates who died due to medical complications. The mayor stressed those deaths were &ldquo;not isolated incidents,&rdquo; noting more than 100 people have died on the island since 2015.<\/p>\n<p>To help solve the problem, New York City officials are transferring inmates to fill the 104-bed therapeutic facility at Bellevue Hospital, starting on Wednesday. The prisoners who will be moved soon are those suffering from acute medical conditions and serious mental illness, Mamdani said.<\/p>\n<p>While answering questions from the press, he revealed that the initiative is generating much interest from corrections officers who want to work there. In his conversation with Department of Corrections Commissioner Stanley Richards, Mamdani learned that more than 400 applications have been submitted. The department was only seeking to fill about 130 to 140 positions.<\/p>\n<p>Two additional sites at NYC Health + Hospitals\/Woodhull and North Central Bronx will be opened by 2029, bringing the total number of beds to 340.<\/p>\n<p>The total jail population at Rikers Island surpassed 7,000 in March 2025, further straining the deteriorating prison. It is legally required to close by Aug. 31, 2027, after which it will be replaced by a borough-based jail system. The Mamdani administration remains committed to meeting the deadline, despite the plan having faced delays for years.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/technology\/4510913\/zohran-mamdani-rolls-back-nyc-tiktok-ban-ccp-ties\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/technology\/4510913\/zohran-mamdani-rolls-back-nyc-tiktok-ban-ccp-ties\/\">MAMDANI ROLLS BACK NYC TIKTOK BAN FOR CITY AGENCIES DESPITE TIES TO CCP<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Over the course of the campaign, I spoke about our commitment to closing Rikers Island, and I also spoke candidly with New Yorkers about the fact that the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/dems-hijack-doug-collins-va-hearing-to-push-abortion-agenda\/\" title=\"Dems Hijack Doug Collins&#039; VA Hearing To Push Abortion Agenda\">prior administration&#038;rsquo<\/a>;s lack of interest, to put it charitably, towards fulfilling that [goal] meant that the stated deadline was practically impossible to fulfill,&rdquo; Mamdani said, taking a critical shot at former Mayor <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/eric-adams\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"3303\">Eric Adams<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It is going to take us quite a bit of time to ensure that we can put our city back on the path that the City Council voted for in 2019,&rdquo; he added, &ldquo;and it will also take a whole-of-government approach.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Mamdani opens Bellevue unit to treat Rikers inmates<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2159,"featured_media":2588050,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/AP26093410448014.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[5390,74017,71835,76258,77332],"class_list":["post-2588049","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-inmates","tag-mental-health-2","tag-prison-reform-2","tag-rikers-island-2","tag-therapeutic-facility"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/AP26093410448014.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2588049","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2159"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2588049"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2588049\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2588057,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2588049\/revisions\/2588057"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2588050"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2588049"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2588049"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2588049"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}