As of October 1, 2025, there were 19 confirmed deaths among the 497 discharged former residents of the two RTF programs. (There was also one death of a resident due to medical complications while he was admitted to the RTF-Manhattan.) As the table below shows, there was considerable variation in the causes of death, and they were concentrated in the early years after discharge.

While there is no population perfectly comparable in background, and the reported ages were attained over a range of years, the chart below shows the annual and cumulative expected mortality rates by age for the general population of New York State in 2020, compared with the rates for the RTF alumni.

The chart below illustrates this information.

There may have been additional deaths of which we are not aware, but the known post-discharge mortality is unexpectedly high, given the young age of the population. Some of the deaths attributed to accident or violence may have reflected self-destructive or frankly suicidal behavior, but overall the high mortality is an unexplained finding.

[updated 10/01/2025]