More than half of first-scheduled prenatal visits on Rikers were missed last year, jail health officials tell the Council

In 2025, more than half of the obstetrics appointments first scheduled on Rikers Island for people in city custody were missed because the jail never brought the patient. Correctional Health Services gave that figure at a joint City Council hearing Tuesday on pregnancy and incarceration.

The hearing, held by the Committees on Women and Gender Equity and Criminal Justice, followed months of attention to how the city's jails treat pregnant people. In June, a woman went into labor while handcuffed and waiting for arraignment in Brooklyn, and Council members demanded answers, City & State reported. In April, Criminal Justice Chair Selvena N. Brooks-Powers toured the Rose M. Singer Center with Council Members Gale A. Brewer and Yusef Salaam. Afterward, she asked the Department of Correction to move pregnant women into the jail's nursery, amNY reported.

Why it matters to residents: the city runs these jails and pays for the health care inside them. Women and Gender Equity Chair Amanda C. Farías said in her opening that 52 people in city custody were reported pregnant last year (transcript).

What was said at the hearing

Missed appointments. Asked how many obstetrics appointments were missed because people weren't brought to them, a Correctional Health Services official gave the rates. In 2025, 53% of first-scheduled on-island appointments were "non-productions," and so were 40% of off-island appointments at Elmhurst Hospital. In 2024 the rates were 37% and 43%. In 2023 they were 27% and 69%. The official said missed appointments are rescheduled and can be escalated (transcript).

Births in custody. Between 2023 and 2025, 15 people gave birth while in custody and would have been taken to Elmhurst for delivery (transcript).

Restraints. The department reported zero restraint incidents involving pregnant or postpartum people in the past three years. Under its policy, restraints may be used only as an "absolute last resort" for someone who is pregnant or up to eight weeks postpartum, and any use must be reported to the state. Farías questioned the zero figure, saying members knew of at least one case (transcript).

The nursery. The jail's nursery, where mothers can keep their babies up to their first birthday, has room for about 15 mothers. It held one mother and infant on Tuesday (transcript). Responding to Brooks-Powers, a DOC deputy commissioner said that after the April visit, every pregnant woman in custody had been offered the chance to apply. Moving in is voluntary, and one application was pending. The official said many women expect to be released before they give birth (transcript).

Women in the new borough jails. A DOC official said 482 women were in custody Tuesday (transcript). Under the current plan, women would be housed at one borough-based jail in Queens. Members asked why women would be kept in a single borough when men will be housed in their home boroughs, given that many of the women are their families' caregivers (transcript).

The oversight board's recommendation. The Board of Correction recommended a dedicated dormitory for pregnant people and a faster nursery application, according to the Council's hearing summary.

The legislation

No votes were taken. On the agenda:

• Int. 902, from Linda Lee, would require mental health protocols for pregnant and postpartum people in DOC custody. It has 23 sponsors and was introduced May 14.
• Res. 464, also from Lee, with 19 sponsors, asks the state to treat postpartum mental illness as a mitigating factor in sentencing.
• Res. 497, from Crystal Hudson, backs a state bill (S.2667C/A.1670A) to bar restraints during labor and on pregnant people during custodial interrogation.
• Res. 498, also from Hudson, with 13 sponsors, backs letting people late in pregnancy postpone court dates.
• Int. 1144, from Rita C. Joseph, would require a report on gender-based violence.

The Criminal Justice Committee has 39 items pending, 31 of them for more than 180 days, our committee page shows.

What's next

The bills stay in committee until a vote is scheduled. The Women and Gender Equity Committee meets again Oct. 30. A joint hearing on pregnancy and birth outcomes among immigrants is set for Nov. 30.