Rikers Island: Inmate Lookup, Visits, Bail, and Closure Plan

Rikers Island is New York City’s main jail complex, a 413-acre island in the East River between the Bronx and Queens that held about 7,095 people as of April 2025.¹ It is reached by the Francis R. Buono Memorial Bridge and is made up of several separate jails run by the New York City Department of Correction, including the Anna M. Kross Center, the Eric M. Taylor Center, the George R. Vierno Center, the Robert N. Davoren Complex, the Otis Bantum Correctional Center, the Rose M. Singer Center, the West Facility, and the North Infirmary Command.²

Most people held there have not been convicted of anything. They are pretrial detainees waiting for their cases to move through the courts, held either because a judge remanded them without bail or because they could not afford the bail set. A smaller group is serving city sentences: under New York law, a misdemeanor conviction can carry up to 364 days, and anyone sentenced to that length or shorter serves the time in a city jail rather than state prison.³ The Department of Correction has custody of both groups.⁴

Finding Someone in Custody

Before you plan a visit, send mail, or deposit money, you need two things: which facility the person is in, and their Book and Case number. The Department of Correction runs an online lookup tool that lets you search by name or by NYSID or Book and Case number, and the results show current facility location and basic case information.⁵ People are moved between facilities often, so check again shortly before each visit or shipment.

Visiting in Person

In-person visits take place at Rikers Island Central Visits. You must arrive during registration hours: Wednesday and Thursday from 1:00 PM to 6:00 PM, or Saturday and Sunday from 7:00 AM to 12:00 PM. Miss those windows and there is no visit that day. The schedule runs alphabetically by the last name of the person in custody, so check which days match which letters on the DOC website.⁶

Every visit lasts one hour.⁷ Pretrial detainees can receive up to three visits per week and sentenced individuals up to two, with no more than one visit per day. Visiting groups are capped at two adults and one child on a lap, or one adult and two children if at least one child is small enough to sit on a lap.⁶

Anyone 16 or older must show valid photo identification with a signature. Acceptable forms include a state driver’s license, DMV non-driver ID, passport from any country, IDNYC card, U.S. military ID, or a resident alien card. A 16- or 17-year-old can bring a younger child without another adult only if the teenager is the child’s parent and the person being visited is the other parent, and in that case the teen must show the younger child’s birth certificate.⁶

Visitors go through passive canine screening on arrival and pass a security checkpoint. Free city transportation runs to and from Rikers from pickup points in Harlem (East 125th Street at 3rd Avenue) and Brooklyn (Jay Street between Fulton and Willoughby).⁸

Dress Code

The dress code is enforced strictly. Visitors who violate it are either given a cover-up garment or turned away. Prohibited items include hooded garments, hats (religious head coverings excepted), see-through clothing, gang-affiliated attire, clothing referencing drugs or violence, swimming attire, and anything resembling staff uniforms, including medical scrubs. Shorts, skirts, and dresses must fall no more than three inches above the knee. Jewelry is limited to a wedding ring and one small religious medal. You must wear undergarments and are restricted to a single layer of clothing with no accessories.⁹

Video Visits

If you cannot make it in person, the Department of Correction offers televisits on Fridays. Submit a request form on the DOC website; the visit is only confirmed when you receive a confirmation email. Devices are limited, so if no confirmation arrives within 24 hours of your chosen date, submit a new form with different dates.¹⁰ The same ID rules apply. Apple users should update iOS to at least version 15.2, because earlier versions have known compatibility issues with the platform.

Phone Calls and Messaging

People in custody use phones and tablets provided under a contract with Securus Technologies. To receive calls, family members and friends typically need to set up an account with the service provider and may need to add funds depending on the current fee structure. The communication services contract was extended through June 2026.¹¹ Check the DOC website for current pricing. New York State made phone calls free in its state prisons beginning August 2025, and city jail policies may change as well.

Tablets also give access to electronic messaging, the facility law library, and commissary ordering. Specific messaging fees and any free monthly message allotments are set by the contract and are not publicly itemized in the available contract documents.

Sending Money

People in custody need money in their accounts to buy items from the commissary, including toiletries and snacks that the facility does not supply. You can deposit money in several ways:¹²

Online or by phone through JPay (800-574-5729) or Western Union (800-325-6000) with a credit or debit card. Western Union requires city code NYCITYDOC and state code NY.
Walk-in at any JPay or Western Union location, with cash, credit, or debit.
Kiosk deposits: cash-only kiosks at DOC cashier offices (JPay), or kiosks that accept cash and cards from other providers.
Directly at a Department of Correction cashier window, which is the only fee-free option.

Third-party money transfer agents charge fees that vary by provider. The DOC does not receive any part of those fees. You will need the person’s full name and Book and Case number to complete a deposit.¹²

Sending Mail and Packages

Write the person’s full name and Book and Case number on every envelope. Mail is screened centrally for prohibited materials before delivery.

Physical packages are accepted but the rules are tight. Packages cannot exceed 15 pounds or measure more than 24 inches wide, 12 inches high, and 24 inches deep. Toiletries and food are prohibited because those items must be bought through commissary. Cash cannot be sent by mail. Clothing with pockets, hoods, belts, or strings is generally banned, along with thermal underwear and anything in colors resembling staff uniforms (blue, dark blue, or camouflage depending on the item).¹³

Books, legal publications, magazines, newspapers, and pamphlets are allowed, though publications are subject to a content review. Packages can be mailed or dropped off in person at the Bail and Package Reception area next to Central Visits during visiting hours. Every package is searched for contraband no matter how it arrives.¹³

Posting Bail and Getting It Back

When a judge sets bail, paying it secures the person’s release while the case continues. Accepted payment methods include cash, cashier’s checks, credit or debit cards, and money orders, with each money order capped at $1,000. Personal checks are not accepted. Payments must match the bail amount exactly, because no change is given.¹⁴ Bring identification and the detained person’s NYSID or Book and Case number.

You can pay bail in person at:

Rikers Island Central Cashier (1 East 1st Street, East Elmhurst), open 24 hours, 7 days a week.
Manhattan Detention Complex (125 White Street), open 24/7.
Bronx Criminal Court (265 East 161st Street), open 7 days, 8 AM to 1 AM.
Brooklyn Criminal Court (120 Schermerhorn Street), open 7 days, 8:30 AM to 1 AM.
Queens Criminal Court (126-01 Queens Boulevard), Monday through Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM.¹⁴

After a case closes or bail is exonerated, the court issues a refund order, which typically takes six to eight weeks. The Department of Finance then mails a refund check within about two weeks of receiving that order. If you paid bail and no check has arrived ten weeks after the case closed, contact the Department of Finance with your Treasury Receipt number or docket number. Only the person who originally posted the bail can communicate with DOF about the refund. Bail that stays unclaimed for three years is turned over to the New York State Comptroller’s Office of Unclaimed Funds.¹⁵

Picking Up Personal Property

When someone is detained, their belongings are held by the facility. Family or other authorized people can retrieve the property, but the process differs depending on whether the person is still in custody.

If the person is still detained, they first need to complete a property release form at their facility naming who is authorized to pick items up. Approval takes at least three weeks. For non-valuable bulk property at Rikers, you must schedule a pickup appointment at least three business days in advance at the Samuel L. Perry Center. Valuable property like money, keys, and wallets can be picked up at Rikers 24 hours a day without an appointment. For money, the detained person must complete a separate withdrawal form, and you should call the cashier’s office to confirm availability before going.¹⁶

If the person has already been released, whoever picks up the property must bring a notarized letter from that person naming them specifically, along with a valid government-issued photo ID. Birth certificates and Social Security cards are not accepted as identification for this purpose.¹⁶

Rights and How to Raise a Problem

The Board of Correction’s minimum standards, codified in Title 40 of the Rules of the City of New York, set a floor for how every person in custody must be treated. The rules require the Department of Correction to provide medical and mental health care, adequate nutrition, access to hygiene facilities, and communication in any language, including translation services for people who do not speak English.¹⁷ People in custody must be allowed to communicate with the outside world by mail, phone, or in person, and to consult legal counsel without interference.

Any person in custody can file a written grievance about a condition, practice, or action related to their confinement. Grievances must be submitted within ten days of the incident and can be appealed. The final level of appeal is the Central Office Review Committee, whose decision is the department’s last word.¹⁸ The Board of Correction is a nine-member independent oversight body that takes complaints directly and can inspect any facility at any time.¹⁹

If you witness or experience staff corruption, violence, or other misconduct at Rikers, you can report it to the New York City Department of Investigation, the city’s independent inspector general. DOI accepts reports online, by phone at (212) 825-5959, or by mail at 180 Maiden Lane, 16th Floor, New York, NY 10038.²⁰ DOI investigates these complaints independently from the Department of Correction.

The Planned Closure of Rikers

In 2021, the New York City Council passed the Renewable Rikers Act, which set up a process to transfer all land, buildings, and facilities on the island from the Department of Correction to the Department of Citywide Administrative Services. Under the law, any part of the island not actively housing people or providing services must be transferred on a rolling basis, with the entire island transferred no later than August 31, 2027.²¹

The plan calls for four new borough-based jails in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx, with a combined capacity of about 4,160 beds, replacing the current system’s roughly 11,300 beds.²² The reduced capacity assumes the jail population will keep falling from levels that once approached 15,000. The legislation also created a Rikers Island Advisory Committee to study post-closure uses of the island, with a focus on renewable energy, sustainability, and environmental resilience.²¹

Whether the 2027 deadline is actually met is another question. Construction on the borough-based facilities is not currently projected to finish until 2029 at the earliest, with some estimates stretching to 2031 or 2032. The gap between the legal mandate and the construction timeline makes the statutory deadline look increasingly unrealistic, though the law remains on the books and the city continues to report August 2027 as its official target.²²

1
NYC Comptroller. DOC Dashboard Update
2
NYC Department of Correction. DOC Facility Addresses
3
New York State Senate. New York Penal Code 70.15 – Sentences of Imprisonment for Misdemeanors and Violation
4
New York City Department of Correction. About the Department of Correction
5
NYC Department of Correction. Person in Custody Lookup
6
New York City Department of Correction. Visit a Person in Custody
7
NYC Department of Correction. Revised Visit Schedule
8
New York City Department of Correction. Visitor Transportation
9
NYC Department of Correction. Visitors’ Dress Code
10
NYC Department of Correction. Televisit Request Form
11
The City Record Online. Notice Details – Inmate Communications and Tablet Services
12
NYC Department of Correction. Send Money
13
New York City Department of Correction. Mailing Packages to Persons in Custody
14
NYC311. Bail
15
NYC311. Bail Refund
16
NYC311. Incarcerated Person Property Pickup
17
NYC Board of Correction. Rules of the City of New York – Correctional Facilities
18
New York City Department of Correction. NYC Department of Correction Directive 3376R-A – Inmate Grievance Procedures
19
NYC.gov. About the New York City Board of Correction
20
NYC.gov. Department of Investigation
21
New York City Council. Council Votes to Pass the Renewable Rikers Act
22
NYC.gov. Borough-Based Jails