Free Phones to People Newly Released from Rikers

Rikers Island detainees fresh out of lockup — including some with serious mental illnesses — will soon receive free smartphones to better connect them with health care and other community services, THE CITY has learned.

The plan to distribute phones comes after a 2003 court settlement in which a state judge appointed a monitor to ensure the city would provide a discharge plan for the newly released that included continued mental health treatment and assistance with public benefits and housing.

https://www.thecity.nyc/2023/7/12/23793153/free-phones-people-released-from-rikers