Board of Correction
City board
The Board of Correction is the independent body that oversees New York City's jail system, including the jails on Rikers Island. It sets and enforces minimum standards for the health, safety, supervision, and treatment of people in the custody of the Department of Correction, investigates incidents and deaths in custody, monitors conditions, and rules on requests to vary from its standards. The nine-member board is appointed by the Mayor, the City Council, and the presiding justices of the Appellate Division's First and Second Judicial Departments (in joint nomination with the Mayor). Members serve six-year terms on a rotating basis, and the Mayor designates the Chair from among them. The Board was established in 1957.
- Board members
- 9 seats
- Appointed by
- Mayor, City Council & Appellate Division presiding justices
- Term
- 6 years
- Chair
- Felipe Franco (Interim)
- Oversees
- NYC jails (Dept. of Correction), including Rikers Island
- Established
- 1957
Board members (6)
The Board has nine seats, appointed by the Mayor, the City Council, and the presiding justices of the Appellate Division's First and Second Departments (in joint nomination with the Mayor). Members serve six-year terms on a rotating basis. Six seats are currently filled and three are vacant
- Felipe Franco Interim Chair
- Helen Skipper Vice Chair
- Barry A. Cozier Member — Retired judge
- Dwayne C. Sampson Member
- Lauren Stossel Member — M.D.
- Jude Torchenaud Member
By legal status
6,513 people were in the custody of the Department of Correction as of 2026-08-31. About 91% are held pre-trial (not serving a sentence), and 61% are flagged as receiving mental-health treatment. Grouped from the Department of Correction's custody-status codes (D = detainee held pre-trial, C =
- Detainees (held pre-trial) 5,913 (91%)
- City-sentenced 548 (8%)
- State-ready (awaiting transfer) 52 (1%)
By gender
- Men 5,991 (92%)
- Women 504 (8%)
- Unknown 18 (0%)
By security classification
- Medium security 2,729 (42%)
- Minimum security 2,158 (33%)
- Maximum security 1,582 (24%)
- Unclassified 44 (1%)
By race
The Department of Correction's race field does not separately identify Hispanic ethnicity, so many Hispanic people in custody are recorded as Other.
- Black 3,808 (59%)
- Other 1,918 (29%)
- White 509 (8%)
- Asian / Pacific Islander 188 (3%)
- Unknown 55 (1%)
- Hispanic 19 (0%)
- American Indian / Alaska Native 16 (0%)
Mental-health treatment flag (Brad H. class)
People flagged as receiving mental-health treatment in custody, tracked under the Brad H. v. City of New York settlement.
- Receiving mental-health treatment 4,005 (61%)
- Not flagged 2,508 (39%)
Jail admissions by year
People admitted to DOC custody each year (through 2026-07-31). The current year is partial.
- 2026 13,571
- 2025 24,247
- 2024 23,637
- 2023 22,145
- 2022 19,777
- 2021 16,507