It may appear that a lengthy delay in processing court cases, which exists in a number of cities and counties across the country, is fundamentally a problem of fairness and justice to the accused.

But a new report by New York City Comptroller Brad Lander -- who announced that he was running for mayor on July 30 -- takes note of the ripple effect of these delays, including the gigantic price tag that results from people languishing in jails.  

As the Comptroller was quoted in a release, “The increasingly long delays of New York City’s justice system are not only violating the constitutional rights of detainees – they are also wasting hundreds of millions of dollars each year in New York City taxpayers’ money, without making our city any safer. Reducing case processing time in line with national best practices would reduce the city’s jail population – saving the city as much as $877 million each year which we could use to keep communities safer – and bring us far closer to the city’s commitment to close Rikers Island and achieve the justice system New Yorkers deserve.” 

The root problem has been getting worse as time goes on. In fact, according to the report:

• From 2019 to 2023, “there was a 179% increase in the number of felony cases in DOC custody that took more than three years to process.”

• “The average time to process a murder case rose by 37%, by an average of 221 days, from just over nineteen months to almost 27 months.”

• “While Courts meet their own standard of 6 months to case dispensation for nearly 80% of felony cases in DOC custody, the remaining 21.5% exceed that standard by over nine months on average.”

In earlier times, New York City could take justifiable pride in shrinking its jail population. It peaked in 1990 at over 21,000 and shrunk to under 4,000 by 2020. But the numbers have been rising since to over 6,300 in May 2024.

This is not an intractable problem, and the report offers up some recommendations for getting the number of prisoners – and their huge cost – down over time. Its recommendations include:

• “Establish a formal, coordinated Working Group charged with the explicit goal to reduce the population at Rikers Island to triage and expedite cases on an ongoing basis and propose and execute systemic reforms”

• “Adopt enhanced goals to expedite the processing of felony cases in a manner consistent with national best practices, with a particular focus on reducing case processing times for long-staying individuals.”

• “Invest in and implement 21st Century scheduling software to streamline case management processes, ensure that court dates are adhered to, and reduce delays.”

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