To find, visit, or post bail for someone at Rikers Island, start with the New York City Department of Correction’s online inmate lookup to confirm the person is in custody and get their Book and Case number, then use that number to pay bail in person at one of five city locations or to schedule a visit through the Benjamin Ward Visit Center in East Elmhurst, Queens. Rikers held roughly 6,700 people on an average day as of mid-2025, most of them pretrial detainees, and almost every interaction with the jail system, from a deposit to the commissary to a bail payment, runs through that same booking number.
Finding Someone in Custody
The Department of Correction maintains a free online lookup for anyone currently in city custody.1NYC.gov. Person in Custody Lookup You can search by first and last name, or, if you already have one, by Book and Case number or NYSID number.2NYC Department of Correction. P.I.C Lookup
The Book and Case number is assigned when a person is booked into the city jail system. The NYSID, or New York State Identification number, is a separate identifier assigned by the state Division of Criminal Justice Services that stays with a person’s criminal history throughout New York.3Department of Corrections and Community Supervision. Parolee Lookup Glossary
Write down two things from the search result: the Book and Case number, and the facility name. Rikers is a cluster of separate jails (the Rose M. Singer Center houses women and transgender, gender nonbinary, and intersex individuals; the George R. Vierno Center, Eric M. Taylor Center, and Otis Bantum Correctional Center hold adult men), and you need to know which one the person is in before you visit.4Department of Correction. Department of Correction – Facilities
Posting Bail
Bail cannot be paid online. You have to bring it in person to one of five locations.5Department of Correction. Post Bail
- Rikers Island Central Cashier: open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
- Manhattan Detention Complex, 125 White Street: open 24/7.
- Bronx Criminal Court, lower level, Room M-05C: seven days a week, 8 a.m. to 1 a.m.
- Brooklyn Courts, 120 Schermerhorn Street, Room 101C: seven days a week, 8:30 a.m. to 1 a.m.
- Queens Courts, 126-01 Queens Boulevard, Kew Gardens: Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Accepted payment includes U.S. cash, a cashier’s check, money orders (up to $1,000 each from providers like Western Union or USPS), or a credit or debit card. Personal checks are not accepted.6NYC311. Bail
The total you hand over has to match the bail amount exactly. No change will be given. If the bail is more than $1,000, you can combine multiple money orders with cash or a check to reach the exact figure. Bring photo identification and the detained person’s Book and Case number or NYSID.
Visiting in Person
Every visitor enters through the Benjamin Ward Visit Center at 18-31 Hazen Street in East Elmhurst, Queens.4Department of Correction. Department of Correction – Facilities From there, department shuttle buses run across the bridge to the specific jail building throughout visiting hours.
Check the visitation schedule before you leave the house. The department assigns visit days based on the first letter of the incarcerated person’s last name, splitting the alphabet into two groups (A through L and M through Z) on a rotating calendar.7NYC Department of Correction. Revised Visit Schedule Show up on the wrong day and you’ll be turned away.
ID Requirements
Everyone 16 and older needs valid photo identification with a signature.8NYC.gov. Visit a Person in Custody Acceptable forms:
- State driver’s license or non-driver ID card
- Passport from any country
- U.S. military ID
- IDNYC municipal ID card
- Permanent resident card
A work ID with a photo works only if you also bring a recent pay stub.
Bringing Children
Children under 16 have to be accompanied by an adult. A 16- or 17-year-old parent can bring their own child if the person in custody is also a parent of that child, but the teenager has to produce the child’s birth certificate at the visit center.
Security Screening
After the ID check, you pass through metal detectors and x-ray machines. Cell phones, recording devices, and many personal items are prohibited inside.
Video Visits
If traveling to Queens isn’t practical, the department runs televisits on Fridays from 8:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.9Department of Correction. Televisits Fill out the online request form and pick three possible dates for the coming week. Requests for dates further out will not be processed. The visit is only confirmed once you receive an email with the date, time, and access link. If nothing arrives within 24 hours of your last requested date, submit a new form with different dates.
Sending Money to the Commissary
People in custody buy food, hygiene items, and other basics through the jail commissary, and they can only do that with money in their account. Deposits go through JPay or Western Union.10Department of Correction. Send Money
With JPay you can transfer funds online, by phone at 1-800-574-JPAY, or at cash-only kiosks. With Western Union you can send money by phone, online, or at a walk-in agent using city code NYCITYDOC and state code NY. Either way, you’ll need the person’s Book and Case number.
Sending Packages and Mail
You can mail a package, but the restrictions are extensive. Toiletries and food are prohibited; the person has to buy those through the commissary. Clothing in red, yellow, or light blue is not allowed, and neither are button-down white shirts. Footwear cannot have hollow soles, platform construction, or metal supports. Only knit gloves are permitted. Packages cannot exceed 15 pounds and must fit within 24 inches wide, 12 inches high, and 24 inches deep.
Photographs are allowed with one quirk: the person cannot receive photos of themselves. Polaroids are not accepted. Pencils must have no erasers and no metal parts. These rules change from time to time, so confirm with the facility before mailing anything.
Attorney Visits
Attorneys, paralegals, and staff from legal organizations register at the Samuel L. Perry Building on the island.11Department of Correction. Attorney Visits Visits can be booked up to 48 hours in advance through the department’s online Visit Scheduler, and scheduled visits take priority over walk-ins. After registration, the visit should begin within 45 minutes.
Credentialed attorneys may bring laptops in to share electronic discovery. Staff can inspect the laptop itself at any point during the process but cannot access or view the files on it.
Medical and Mental Health Questions
Health care at Rikers is not run by the Department of Correction. NYC Health + Hospitals operates a separate division called Correctional Health Services, which delivers medical, dental, and mental health care to everyone in city custody.12NYC Health + Hospitals. Correctional Health Services For questions about a family member’s treatment, the CHS general information line is 347-774-7000.
Does the 2027 Closure Change Any of This Now?
No. The Renewable Rikers Act, passed as a set of local laws in 2021, requires the city to stop housing incarcerated people on Rikers Island by August 31, 2027, and to hand the land over to the Department of Citywide Administrative Services for environmental and energy use.13The City of New York. Local Laws of the City of New York for the Year 2021 No. 1614New York City Department of Environmental Protection. Reimagining Rikers Island The plan replaces the island complex with four smaller borough-based jails in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx, sized for a combined 3,300 people.15A Roadmap to Closing Rikers. NYC Borough-Based Jails
None of the four will be ready by the deadline. Brooklyn, the furthest along, is not expected to open until 2029 at the earliest, and the other three are projected for 2031 or later. For anyone with a family member inside right now, or for anyone posting bail this week, the process described above is the process. Rikers is fully operational, and the lookup, visit, bail, and commissary systems all still run through the current DOC facilities on the island.