Rikers Island (photo: Michael Appleton/Mayor's Office)

New York’s state government, its counties, and municipalities altogether spent $18.2 billion in 2019 on police, jails, prisons, prosecutors, parole, and probation while only spending about $6.2 billion on mental health services, public health, youth programs and services, recreation, and elder services, according to a new report.

The report, by the nonprofit Center for Community Alternatives, examined local, county, and state budgets to place into stark contrast the