Rikers Island - West Facility

Bail is decided at arraignment, the first trip before a Criminal Court judge. Court staff say the wait from arrest to that hearing is usually close to a day. Each borough arraigns in its own building:

• Brooklyn: 120 Schermerhorn Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201, 347-404-9400. Judges hear new arrests daily, 9 a.m. until 1 a.m.
• The Bronx: 215 East 161st Street, Bronx, NY 10451, 718-618-2400. Same schedule, 9 a.m. until 1 a.m., seven days.
• Queens: 125-01 Queens Boulevard, Kew Gardens, NY 11415, 718-298-0792. The last session here wraps up at 11 p.m. every night.
• Staten Island: 26 Central Avenue, Staten Island, NY 10301, 718-675-8558. Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday just 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• Manhattan (New York County): 100 Centre Street, New York, NY 10013, 646-386-4511. Sessions run 9 a.m. into 1 a.m. each day.

Ahead of arraignment, the person sits at central booking, run by the NYPD inside each borough's criminal courthouse. Legal Aid notes the move there tends to happen 4 to 6 hours after police make the arrest. Relatives may not visit. The five sites:

• Staten Island: Staten Island Central Booking, part of the Staten Island Criminal Court, 26 Central Avenue, Staten Island, NY 10301, 718-876-8493.
• Queens: Queens Central Booking, 125-01 Queens Boulevard, Kew Gardens, NY 11415, 718-268-4523.
• Brooklyn: Brooklyn Central Booking, 120 Schermerhorn Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201, 718-875-6319.
• Manhattan: Manhattan Central Booking, 100 Centre Street, New York, NY 10013, 212-347-2801.
• The Bronx: Bronx Central Booking, 215 East 161st Street, Bronx, NY 10451. Use the Bronx number from the list above, which doubles as the booking line.

Start with the site in the borough of arrest and request the arrest number. Then share it with the arraignment clerk for that borough; the clerk can give the hearing time and courtroom.

Not sure which borough? The citywide Criminal Court Information Line, 646-386-4900, picks up weekdays from 9 to 5.

The Department of Correction (DOC) sorts people into buildings by sex, age, health and behavior. Here is the lineup:

• Eric M. Taylor Center, 10-10 Hazen Street, East Elmhurst, NY 11370: a men's jail where each new male admission is processed. Mental observation units too.
• George R. Vierno Center, 09-09 Hazen Street, East Elmhurst, NY 11370: men, both pretrial and serving city time. Mental observation units, plus PACE for serious mental illness.
• Otis Bantum Correctional Center, 16-00 Hazen Street, East Elmhurst, NY 11370: men in dorm rooms and cells, and a Special Management Unit.
• Robert N. Davoren Complex, 11-11 Hazen Street, East Elmhurst, NY 11370: men, young adults aged 18 to 21 among them.
• Rose M. Singer Center, 19-19 Hazen Street, East Elmhurst, NY 11370: women, whether awaiting trial or sentenced, and the intake point for women. Its Special Considerations Unit serves intersex, non-binary, gender non-conforming and transgender people.
• RESH, on that same Hazen Street site: men sent to restrictive housing after a jail discipline ruling. It runs its own intake desk, clinic and visit space.
• WF, 16-06 Hazen Street, East Elmhurst, NY 11370: single cells, with the Communicable Disease Unit inside.
• Bellevue Hospital Prison Ward, 462 1st Avenue, New York, NY 10016, and Elmhurst Hospital Prison Ward, 79-01 Broadway, Queens, NY 11370: guarded wards for patients sick enough to be admitted.
• Bellevue Outposted Therapeutic Housing Unit, 462 1st Avenue, New York, NY 10016: 104 beds since April 2026. It is for people with heavy care needs who are not sick enough to be admitted.
• Under 18: ACS runs Crossroads Juvenile Center, 17 Bristol Street, Brooklyn, NY 11212, and Horizon Juvenile Center, 560 Brook Avenue, Bronx, NY 10455.

The North Infirmary Command, last used for infirmary-level patients, shut permanently in June 2026. A DOC bail window takes payment for a person in any of these jails. For housing questions, ring DOC's Constituent and Grievance Services office, 718-546-1500, weekdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Only if someone tells the judge. State law says the judge must size up the whole person: their past, their daily life and whether paying bail would cause real hardship (CPL 510.10(1)). A serious medical condition is part of that story.

Getting it in front of the bench takes four moves:

1. Before arraignment, pass the defense lawyer a list of diagnoses, medicines and the clinic or doctor treating them.
2. Carry copies of any proof you have, like a hospital discharge sheet or pharmacy printout.
3. The lawyer uses those papers to push for release or a smaller amount.
4. The lawyer may also request supervised release in place of cash. The city's Supervised Release Program can connect a person to mental health care and drug treatment while the case is open.

Nothing forces a judge to agree. Still, a judge can only weigh facts that someone places on the record.

In court papers, the judge's release ruling goes by the name securing order. There are four types under New York law (CPL 500.10, 510.10):

• Recognizance (ROR): walking out on a pledge to return.
• Non-monetary conditions: rules like reporting in or joining supervised release, at no charge to the person. Ankle monitoring is a narrow option, approved in 60-day blocks that a judge may renew (CPL 510.40(4)).
• Bail: a cash sum or bond put up to secure future court dates.
• Remand: jail with no bail, reserved for some serious felonies.

For most misdemeanors and many non-violent felonies, cash bail is barred. The judge must choose ROR or conditions (CPL 510.10(3)). Money bail or remand opens up only for qualifying charges, a list that covers violent felonies and an accusation that the crime killed someone. State figures for 2024 show city judges freed 62% on recognizance and 22% on conditions. They set bail in 15% of arraignments and remanded 1%.

Albany has rewritten the bail law several times since 2020. Our New York bail law summary walks through the current version.

No. New York City judges choose a number case by case after both sides speak. You can learn the figure three ways:

• The Person in Custody Lookup lists the bail or bond amount.
• The defense lawyer was in the room and can tell you.
• The arraignment court in the arrest borough can confirm it by phone.

Whenever a judge names a bail figure, the order must list at least three posting methods. At least one listed method has to be a surety bond with little or no money down: unsecured or partially secured (CPL 520.10(2)(b)). With a partially secured bond, the money down can never top 10% of the bail figure (CPL 500.10(18)). An unsecured bond takes only signatures. That means the family may not need the full cash figure. Ask the lawyer which choices the judge listed.

Open 24/7, the Central Cashier on Rikers Island is listed by the court system at 11-11 Hazen Street, East Elmhurst, NY 11370. Here is how a visit there goes:

1. Pull up your loved one on the Person in Custody Lookup. Jot down the bail amount plus either the NYSID or Book and Case number.
2. Bring a government photo ID of your own.
3. Bring payment that hits the bail to the penny, since the cashier hands back no change.
4. Complete and sign the bail paperwork. Keep the receipt safe; refunds are tied to it.
5. Expect release to follow. State law orders that a person be let out promptly once bail is deposited (CPL 520.15).

Bail clears someone out of a WF medical cell exactly as it would from a general housing unit.

A DOC window accepts bail whatever jail is holding the person. Carry your ID and the person's numbers to whichever is closest:

• Manhattan Detention Complex: 125 White Street, New York, NY 10013. Staffed around the clock, every day.
• Brooklyn: inside the courthouse, first floor, Room 101C, at 120 Schermerhorn Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201. Every day from 8:30 a.m. to 1 a.m.
• Queens: ground floor of the courthouse at 126-01 Queens Boulevard, Kew Gardens, NY 11415. Monday to Friday, 9 to 5.
• The Bronx: Room M-05C, lower level of Bronx Criminal Court, 215 East 161st Street, Bronx, NY 10451. Monday and Tuesday 9 to 5; Wednesday through Friday 9 to 8; shut Saturday and Sunday.
• Staten Island: no DOC window sits in this borough. Island families can use White Street or the Rikers cashier, both open overnight.

On a scheduled court day, if the person is waiting in a courthouse holding pen, the clerk in that courtroom can accept bail as well.

Combine these any way you like, so long as the sum equals the bail to the cent:

• Paper money (U.S. dollars) for the entire amount.
• A cashier's or teller's check no bigger than the bail.
• Money orders of $1,000 or less apiece, issued by a private bank, Travelers Express, FedEx, Western Union or the Postal Service.
• A bank card, credit or debit.

Write checks and money orders to "New York City Department of Correction." Personal checks are refused, certified or not. So is any check or money order above $1,000, or one that would require change. Payment happens face to face at a bail window.

A bondsman posts the full bail for you in exchange for a fee, the premium. Insurance Law § 6804 sets the most they may charge:

• 10% of the bond up to $3,000.
• 8% of the slice between $3,000 and $10,000.
• 6% of whatever is over $10,000.

Agents must hold a state license; look any of them up with the DFS bail agent search. The premium is refundable in full within 14 days when your loved one stays locked up or goes home without money bail. As for collateral, keep it small; in DFS's view, a fair pledge is near 10% of the bond. The agent owes your pledged property back within 45 days of being handed exoneration paperwork. Get a signed, itemized receipt for premium and collateral alike. Report problems on the DFS complaint form.

Each bail covers one case only. Release can stall because of:

• Another pending case carrying its own bail.
• A warrant issued by a different court.
• State parole wanting the person held.
• An ICE detainer or a federal hold.
• Time left on a sentence already imposed.

Scan the Lookup for every case under that name before you hand over money. If release drags after you pay, dial the Constituent and Grievance Services office, 718-546-1500. If health is the worry while you wait, Correctional Health Services takes calls 24 hours a day at 347-774-7000.

Holding a person without any bail is legal only for charges on the state's qualifying felony list (CPL 510.10(4)). Examples on that list: certain sex crimes, any class A felony, a violent felony, or a new felony while on probation. The district attorney asks for it and the defense pushes back. Prosecutors by borough:

• Queens: 125-01 Queens Boulevard, Kew Gardens, NY 11415, 718-286-6000.
• Manhattan: Manhattan DA, One Hogan Place (Lower Manhattan), New York, NY 10013, 212-335-9000.
• Brooklyn: 350 Jay Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201; DA's Action Center 718-250-2340.
• Staten Island: 130 Stuyvesant Place, Staten Island, NY 10301, 718-876-6300.
• The Bronx: 198 East 161st Street, Bronx, NY 10451, 718-590-2000.

A defense lawyer can take the bail to a Supreme Court justice in that borough (CPL 530.30). The justice may lower it, ease the conditions or release outright. For felonies, the DA is heard before any ruling. Only one such application is allowed, so build it with care.

Health news helps. Tell the lawyer about a new illness, a trip to the hospital or days in a medical cell since the first hearing. Ask which records to get. Felony complaints come with a deadline too. After 120 hours behind bars, release is required if the DA has not held a preliminary hearing or won a grand jury vote. If a Saturday, Sunday or legal holiday is in that stretch, the limit grows to 144 hours (CPL 180.80).

If your loved one cannot pay for counsel, the court appoints a lawyer for free. State guidelines treat a jailed person as likely eligible. These offices handle most city cases:

• The Bronx: Legal Aid Society, 260 East 161st Street, Bronx, NY 10451, 718-579-3000; The Bronx Defenders, 360 East 161st Street, Bronx, NY 10451, 718-838-7878.
• Staten Island: Legal Aid Society, 60 Bay Street, Staten Island, NY 10301, 347-422-5333.
• Brooklyn: Legal Aid Society, 111 Livingston Street, 9th Floor, Brooklyn, NY 11201, 718-237-2000; Brooklyn Defender Services, 177 Livingston Street, 7th Floor, Brooklyn, NY 11201, 718-254-0700.
• Manhattan: Legal Aid Society, 49 Thomas Street, New York, NY 10013, 212-732-5000; New York County Defender Services, located at 100 William Street, 20th Floor, New York, NY 10038, 212-803-5100; Neighborhood Defender Service, 317 Lenox Avenue, New York, NY 10027, 212-876-5500.
• Queens: Legal Aid Society, 120-46 Queens Boulevard, Kew Gardens, NY 11415, 718-286-2000; Queens Defenders, 118-21 Queens Boulevard, Suite 212, Forest Hills, NY 11375, 844-783-3673.

Where those groups have a conflict, the Assigned Counsel Plan supplies a private attorney: 253 Broadway, Room 200, New York, NY 10007, 212-676-0066.

Lower charges stay in Criminal Court start to finish. Felonies climb to the Supreme Court, Criminal Term, after an indictment:

• Manhattan: 100 Centre Street and 111 Centre Street, New York, NY 10013. Central Clerk 646-386-4000.
• Staten Island: 26 Central Avenue, Staten Island, NY 10301. Criminal Term Office in Room 240, 718-675-8760.
• Brooklyn: 320 Jay Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201. Criminal Term Clerk 347-296-1076.
• The Bronx: 265 East 161st Street, Bronx, NY 10451. Main number 718-618-3100.
• Queens: 125-01 Queens Boulevard, Kew Gardens, NY 11415. Record Room 718-298-1400.

A federal case belongs to the U.S. District Court. Federal arrests from Manhattan or the Bronx land at 500 Pearl Street, New York, NY 10007. Arrests in Brooklyn, Queens or Staten Island are heard at 225 Cadman Plaza East, Brooklyn, NY 11201.

Money posted as cash bail still belongs to whoever paid it. When the case closes, the court notifies the city Department of Finance (DOF), which then mails the refund check. Allow as long as eight weeks. No form is needed from you.

• A dismissal or acquittal returns every dollar.
• With a guilty plea or conviction, 3% is kept by the city (General Municipal Law § 99-m).
• Still waiting? The DOF Cash Bail Unit answers at 212-908-7619, weekdays 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. In-person help is at 66 John Street, 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10038, weekdays 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Bring the receipt and docket number.

Missing a court date without an excuse the judge accepts means the bail is forfeited (CPL 540.10). Showing up later with a good explanation, before the case is over, can undo that. Asking for forfeited money back has a one-year deadline (CPL 540.30).

Valuables collected at intake wait at the Samuel L. Perry Center on Rikers, open all hours, no appointment needed. Larger items, such as clothing bags, need an appointment. Call 311 to set one up within 30 days of the release date, and quote either number: NYSID, or Book and Case. Pickup then opens at 12 noon on the third business day and stays open for three days. Someone you trust can do the pickup. A helper picking up for someone who remains behind bars needs the signed Person in Custody Property Release Form. For someone already released, a notarized letter from them works instead. Call the Property Pick-up Area at 718-546-8811.

About leftover jail account money, ask DOC's Constituent and Grievance Services office, 718-546-1500, how the balance gets returned.

Federal agents' arrests bypass the city courts entirely. A magistrate judge rules on custody at the very first federal hearing: released under conditions, or kept in custody pending trial. Either side may win a brief delay first (18 U.S.C. 3142(f)). The options: freedom on a signed bond or promise, freedom with rules, or detention (18 U.S.C. 3142(a)).

• Manhattan or Bronx arrest: Moynihan U.S. Courthouse, 500 Pearl Street, New York, NY 10007, Clerk 212-805-0136.
• Brooklyn, Queens or Staten Island arrest: 225 Cadman Plaza East, Brooklyn, NY 11201, help desk 718-613-2600.

Federal defendants the judge orders held go into U.S. Marshals Service custody. Many of those detainees sleep at MDC Brooklyn, 80 29th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11232, 718-840-4200. Once a sentence is imposed, check the BOP inmate locator.

It can. Bail settles the state case, but an immigration request is separate. The federal steps:

1. The process begins with a detainer, Form I-247A, sent to DOC. It seeks custody for up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released (8 CFR 287.7(d)).
2. Should ICE pick the person up, search the ICE Online Detainee Locator.
3. ICE's field office for the five boroughs sits at 26 Federal Plaza, 9th Floor, Suite 9-110, New York, NY 10278, 212-436-9315.

State and city rules narrow what local jails do. In People ex rel. Wells v. DeMarco (2018), a state appeals court held that local officers lack power to arrest for civil immigration violations. Every 287(g) deal with local police in the state became void on August 25, 2026 (Executive Law § 170-k). In the city, the detainer laws in Administrative Code § 9-131 limit DOC's cooperation. Help is permitted only in two situations: a possible terrorist screening database match, or certain violent or serious convictions. Those crimes are named in Local Laws 58 and 59, passed in 2014. City time and resources may not be spent on immigration enforcement under Local Law 228 of 2017. An immigration attorney can say how these rules fit your case.

City jails house sentenced people along with those awaiting trial, so a term of one year or under can be done in DOC custody. A longer felony term means state prison under the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision. There, staff classify the person and pick a prison to match. Track them on the DOCCS Incarcerated Lookup, easiest with a DIN. For details on individual prisons, browse our New York state prisons page.

Under Raise the Age, nobody aged 16 or 17 is jailed on Rikers anymore. Teen misdemeanors are sent to probation intake. Felony charges for teens open in the Supreme Court's Youth Part. If held, the teen stays at an ACS center:

• Crossroads Juvenile Center, 17 Bristol Street, Brooklyn, NY 11212, 718-240-3800.
• Horizon Juvenile Center, 560 Brook Avenue, Bronx, NY 10455, 718-292-0065.

Youth bail goes to ACS rather than DOC, and both centers take it 24 hours a day. In Family Court delinquency cases for younger children, bail does not exist.

In New York City, two trial courts split criminal cases:

• Criminal Court of the City of New York holds every arraignment. It also tries misdemeanors and violations, the lower-level charges with jail terms of a year or less.
• Supreme Court, Criminal Term takes felonies once a grand jury indicts. A felony can bring state prison.

So every case starts in Criminal Court, even a felony. Teen cases go to the Youth Part of Supreme Court or to Family Court. A federal charge is heard in U.S. District Court instead.

Brooklyn. Criminal Court sits at 120 Schermerhorn Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201, 347-404-9400, with arraignments daily 9 a.m. to 1 a.m. Felonies go to Supreme Court at 320 Jay Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201, 347-296-1076. Family Court is at 330 Jay Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201, 347-401-9610.

The Bronx. Criminal Court is at 215 East 161st Street, Bronx, NY 10451; call 718-618-2460 for the clerk. Arraignments run daily 9 a.m. to 1 a.m. The Hall of Justice, 265 East 161st Street, Bronx, NY 10451, 718-618-3100, holds Supreme Court. Family Court is at 900 Sheridan Avenue, Bronx, NY 10451, 718-618-2098.

Queens. Criminal Court and Supreme Court share 125-01 Queens Boulevard, Kew Gardens, NY 11415. The Criminal Court clerk is 718-298-0792, and the Supreme Court Record Room is 718-298-1400. Arraignments end at 11 p.m. each night. Family Court is at 151-20 Jamaica Avenue, Jamaica, NY 11432, 718-298-0197.

Staten Island. Both criminal courts use 26 Central Avenue, Staten Island, NY 10301. Criminal Court is 718-675-8558, and the Supreme Court Criminal Term Office in Room 240 is 718-675-8760. Arraignments run weekdays 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and weekends 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Family Court is at 100 Richmond Terrace, Staten Island, NY 10301, 718-675-8800.

Manhattan. Criminal Court is at 100 Centre Street, New York, NY 10013, 646-386-4511, with arraignments daily 9 a.m. to 1 a.m. Supreme Court uses 100 Centre Street and 111 Centre Street, New York, NY 10013; the Central Clerk is 646-386-4000. Family Court is at 60 Lafayette Street, New York, NY 10013, 646-386-5223.

No. The Department of Correction runs a group of jails, and a person can be moved between them as needs change:

• Eric M. Taylor Center, 10-10 Hazen Street, East Elmhurst, NY 11370: the intake building for all newly arrived men, which also keeps mental observation units.
• George R. Vierno Center, 09-09 Hazen Street, East Elmhurst, NY 11370: men before and after sentencing. It has mental observation units and PACE, which treats serious mental illness.
• Otis Bantum Correctional Center, 16-00 Hazen Street, East Elmhurst, NY 11370: dorms and cells for men, plus a Special Management Unit.
• Robert N. Davoren Complex, 11-11 Hazen Street, East Elmhurst, NY 11370: men and young men from 18 through 21.
• Rose M. Singer Center, 19-19 Hazen Street, East Elmhurst, NY 11370: the women's jail, where women are first processed. Its Special Considerations Unit is for non-binary, intersex, transgender and gender non-conforming people.
• RESH, sharing the Rose M. Singer site: restrictive housing for men who broke jail rules, with a separate intake, clinic and visiting room.
• WF itself: single cells, with one section kept for the Communicable Disease Unit.
• Bellevue Hospital Prison Ward, 462 1st Avenue, New York, NY 10016, and Elmhurst Hospital Prison Ward, 79-01 Broadway, Queens, NY 11370: secure hospital floors for people sick enough to be admitted.
• Bellevue Outposted Therapeutic Housing Unit, 462 1st Avenue, New York, NY 10016: a 104-bed unit that opened in April 2026 for complex medical needs short of a hospital stay.
• ACS youth centers for those under 18: Crossroads Juvenile Center, 17 Bristol Street, Brooklyn, NY 11212, and Horizon Juvenile Center, 560 Brook Avenue, Bronx, NY 10455.

DOC buses people from each of these jails to court on their dates. DOC's April 2025 numbers show 98.9% of people due in court got there.

Yes. These branches handle some cases outside the main courthouses or add treatment to the case:

• Midtown Community Justice Center, 314 West 54th Street, New York, NY 10019. The clerk answers case and date questions at 646-264-1330.
• Red Hook Community Justice Center, 88-94 Visitation Place, Brooklyn, NY 11231, 718-923-8200.
• Manhattan treatment courts, 111 Centre Street, New York, NY 10013, 646-386-4626.
• Bronx treatment courts in the Hall of Justice, 265 East 161st Street, Bronx, NY 10451, 718-618-3172.
• Queens felony treatment courts, 125-01 Queens Boulevard, Kew Gardens, NY 11415, 718-298-1303.
• Staten Island Treatment Court, 26 Central Avenue, Staten Island, NY 10301, 718-675-8530.
• Brooklyn Treatment Court, 320 Jay Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201, 347-296-1133.

In drug court, a person whose addiction is part of the crime can agree to court-watched treatment (CPL Article 216 covers some felonies). Ask the defense lawyer whether the case fits.

Arraignment is the opening court hearing, normally within roughly a day of the arrest. Four things happen there:

1. A defense lawyer is assigned if the person cannot pay for one.
2. The judge reads out the charges and explains the person's rights.
3. The person enters a plea, usually not guilty.
4. The judge picks among release, release with conditions, bail or remand.

This is the moment to speak up about health. The lawyer can tell the judge about a long-term illness, needed medicine or a recent hospital stay. Pass those facts to the lawyer before the case is called. If the person is held, Correctional Health Services screens them again at Rikers intake. That screening is how some people end up in medical housing at WF.

Before that hearing, the person waits at the NYPD's central booking in the borough of arrest. Legal Aid lists one in each borough's criminal courthouse:

1. Queens Central Booking: 125-01 Queens Boulevard, Kew Gardens, NY 11415, 718-268-4523
2. Manhattan Central Booking: 100 Centre Street, New York, NY 10013, 212-347-2801
3. Bronx Central Booking: 215 East 161st Street, Bronx, NY 10451, 718-618-2400 (also the Bronx Criminal Court's number for arraignment questions)
4. Staten Island Central Booking: inside the Staten Island Criminal Court, 26 Central Avenue, Staten Island, NY 10301, 718-876-8493
5. Brooklyn Central Booking: 120 Schermerhorn Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201, 718-875-6319

Most people arrive within about 4 to 6 hours of the arrest. Visits are not allowed there. A call to the right site gets you the arrest number. Then phone that borough's Criminal Court, share the number, and ask what time the case will be called and in which courtroom.

Petit larceny (shoplifting), third-degree assault, trespass and many drug cases stay in Criminal Court. Maximum punishments come from Penal Law § 70.15 and § 80.05:

• Class A misdemeanor: no more than 364 days locked up, and a fine that can reach $1,000.
• Class B misdemeanor: a ceiling of three months, and $500 is the biggest fine.
• Violation, such as disorderly conduct: 15 days or less, with fines capped at $250.

After arraignment, the case comes back on dates for evidence sharing, motions and plea offers. On a class A charge, the DA gets 90 days to announce readiness for trial (CPL 30.30). If your loved one is jailed on that charge and the DA misses a 30-day mark, release must follow. Lots of misdemeanor cases close with probation, a conditional discharge or a dismissal rather than jail time.

Every felony begins as a complaint filed in Criminal Court. Next steps, in order:

1. Five-day clock (CPL 180.80): a jailed person must be let go after 120 hours. Add a day, to 144 hours, if a weekend or holiday lands in between. The rule bites only if no grand jury vote or hearing has happened by then.
2. Your loved one has the right to give their own side to the grand jury, with written notice (CPL 190.50(5)).
3. An indictment sends the case up to Supreme Court.
4. Evidence sharing (CPL 245.10): the DA must turn over proof in 20 calendar days if your loved one is jailed, or 35 if out.
5. Trial readiness: half a year from the start (CPL 30.30).

Penal Law § 70.00 sets the top prison term by class. For E it is four years; D, seven; C, fifteen; B, twenty-five. Class A felonies can bring life.

Penal Law § 70.02 lists violent felonies. They carry fixed (determinate) sentences followed by post-release supervision. Robbery in the first degree, a class B, brings 5 to 25 years. Second-degree assault, a class D, brings 2 to 7. A violent class C carries 3.5 to 15, and a violent class E carries 1.5 to 4.

Because these charges sit on the qualifying list, a judge may set bail or remand (CPL 510.10(4)). That raises the odds of a long stay in DOC custody before trial. So does a charge accusing someone of causing a death. If health slips while your loved one waits, push the lawyer to seek a bail review soon.

Each borough has its own district attorney and defender offices.

Brooklyn: DA at 350 Jay Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201, Action Center 718-250-2340. Defense: Legal Aid, 111 Livingston Street, 9th Floor, Brooklyn, NY 11201, 718-237-2000, and Brooklyn Defender Services, 177 Livingston Street, 7th Floor, Brooklyn, NY 11201, 718-254-0700.

Manhattan: the DA's main office is One Hogan Place (New York, NY 10013), 212-335-9000. Defense: Legal Aid, 49 Thomas Street, New York, NY 10013, 212-732-5000; New York County Defender Services (offices: 20th Floor, 100 William Street, New York, NY 10038), 212-803-5100; Neighborhood Defender Service, 317 Lenox Avenue, New York, NY 10027, 212-876-5500.

Queens: DA at 125-01 Queens Boulevard, Kew Gardens, NY 11415, 718-286-6000. Defense: Legal Aid, 120-46 Queens Boulevard, Kew Gardens, NY 11415, 718-286-2000, and Queens Defenders, 118-21 Queens Boulevard, Suite 212, Forest Hills, NY 11375, 844-783-3673.

Staten Island: DA at 130 Stuyvesant Place, Staten Island, NY 10301, 718-876-6300. Defense: Legal Aid, 60 Bay Street, Staten Island, NY 10301, 347-422-5333.

The Bronx: DA at 198 East 161st Street, Bronx, NY 10451, 718-590-2000. Defense: Legal Aid, 260 East 161st Street, Bronx, NY 10451, 718-579-3000, and The Bronx Defenders, 360 East 161st Street, Bronx, NY 10451, 718-838-7878.

Conflict cases go to the Assigned Counsel Plan, 253 Broadway, Room 200, New York, NY 10007, 212-676-0066. Being in jail counts as proof that your loved one can get a free lawyer.

Use any of these:

• WebCrims searches all five boroughs' criminal courts at once. Type a name; two letters each of the first and last name is the minimum. It shows only open cases with a coming date.
• The Person in Custody Lookup shows the next court date and place for anyone in DOC custody. The docket's letters name the borough: KN Brooklyn, BX the Bronx, QN Queens, RI Staten Island and NY Manhattan.
• The Criminal Court Information Line, 646-386-4900, answers weekdays 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Closed cases? Ring the clerk's office where the case was heard.

NYPD officers serve warrants in the city. Check the NYPD Wanted page, the State Police wanted list, the FBI wanted list, plus the federal Marshals Service's 15 Most Wanted page. To ask about one person, phone the Criminal Court Information Line at 646-386-4900, or search WebCrims. Warrants never expire. Only going before a judge in the issuing court clears one, ideally with a lawyer. A person can also surrender at any NYPD precinct. The courthouse list earlier on this page gives each borough's address.

Federal charges skip the city courts. The Southern District takes Manhattan and Bronx cases at 500 Pearl Street, New York, NY 10007, Clerk 212-805-0136. The Eastern District, for Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island, is at 225 Cadman Plaza East, Brooklyn, NY 11201, 718-613-2600.

At the first federal hearing, the charges are explained, and a lawyer is named if your loved one cannot pay. A detention hearing follows right away, with short delays allowed (18 U.S.C. 3142(f)). The judge weighs proof, record, the charge itself and any risk to others (18 U.S.C. 3142(g)). Federal Defenders of New York serve both courts: 52 Duane Street, 10th Floor, New York, NY 10007, 212-417-8700. Until trial, a federal defendant who is held stays under U.S. Marshals control, often at MDC Brooklyn. After sentencing, search the BOP inmate locator.

The state case keeps going whether or not ICE files a detainer. It only matters when the person would be released. The detainer comes on Form I-247A, which asks DOC to keep the person up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released (8 CFR 287.7(d)). If ICE then takes custody, search the ICE Online Detainee Locator. ICE's New York City Field Office takes calls at 212-436-9315; its address is 26 Federal Plaza, 9th Floor, Suite 9-110, New York, NY 10278.

State law limits this. Local officers lack power to make civil immigration arrests (People ex rel. Wells v. DeMarco, 2018). Civil arrests at or near a courthouse need a judicial warrant or order (Civil Rights Law § 28). 287(g) deals ended August 25, 2026 (Executive Law § 170-k). The city's detainer laws, Administrative Code § 9-131, narrow when DOC may help immigration agents. Per Local Laws 58 and 59 (2014), help is allowed only for listed violent or serious convictions, or when a name may match a terrorist database. Also, Local Law 228 (2017) bars using city staff and property for immigration work. Since a guilty plea may shift someone's immigration standing, share status facts with defense counsel right away.

Time of one year or under is usually served in a city jail run by DOC. A longer felony sentence goes to state prison. The state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision starts with a reception center, where staff classify the person and choose a prison. Search the DOCCS Incarcerated Lookup by DIN or name. For details on any one prison, use our New York state prisons page.

Since Raise the Age took effect, adult jails no longer hold 16- or 17-year-olds. Probation intake gets a teen's misdemeanor first. A teen's felony opens in Supreme Court's Youth Part; many non-violent felonies are moved to Family Court in 30 days or less (CPL 722.23). Children under 16 who are charged as delinquents go to Family Court, which has no bail. Youth who are held stay at Crossroads, 17 Bristol Street, Brooklyn, NY 11212, 718-240-3800, or Horizon, 560 Brook Avenue, Bronx, NY 10455, 718-292-0065.

The state Office of Victim Services may cover funeral costs, counseling or medical bills tied to a crime. Reach it at 800-247-8035. Victims can sign up for VINE, 888-846-3469, to hear when a person leaves DOC custody. If a household member was hurt or threatened, ask the DA about a temporary order of protection; judges can sign one at arraignment (CPL 530.12). Each DA's office helps too. For example, Queens runs a victim hotline at 718-286-6812, and the Bronx Crime Victims Assistance Bureau is at 718-590-2115.