A new report has found that the taxpayer cost of jailing a New York City inmate has jumped 42 percent since 2007 as levels of violence continue to rise.
City Comptroller Scott Stringer says the annualized cost-per-inmate has grown from $67,565 in the 2007 fiscal year to $96,232 in fiscal 2014.
Meanwhile, Stringer says there were 470 infractions for fighting per 1,000 average daily inmates in 2007. That number this year is 774, a 65 percent jump.
The figures released Friday far surpass costs-per-inmate in other big city jail systems such as Chicago, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Miami.
Department of Correction Commissioner Joseph Ponte (PAHNT) has vowed to quell rising levels of violence at Rikers Island.
The $1.1 billion agency employs about 9,000 uniformed correction officers.
