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Another Detainee In NYC Jail Dies, 12th Death In Custody This Year
By
George Joseph
and
Jake Offenhartz
Published Sep 22, 2021
Modified Sep 22, 2021
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Seth Wenig/AP/Shutterstock
By
George Joseph
and
Jake Offenhartz
Published Sep 22, 2021
Modified Sep 22, 2021
Share
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Another person incarcerated in New York City's jails has died, authorities confirmed on Wednesday.
The individual, identified by his attorney as 24-year-old Stephen Khadu, was pronounced dead earlier this morning at Lincoln Hospital after being transferred from the Vernon C. Bain Center, a floating jail barge in the Bronx that’s better known as “The Boat.”
He is the 12th person to die in New York City jails since the start of this year, including both detainees who died in jail or after being transferred to a hospital. At least five of those deaths were suicides.
New York City's Department of Correction could not immediately share the cause of the latest death or confirm the man's identity.
“I am devastated to see that we have yet another death in custody, and determined to stop this heartbreaking trend,” said Correction Commissioner Vincent Schiraldi. “We are doing all we can to remedy the unprecedented crisis we are experiencing in our jails. My thoughts and prayers are with the individual’s loved ones.”
Mitchell Elman, an attorney for Khadu, said he'd spoken to his client a few weeks ago, describing him as a "good family man."
"It’s an unbelievable tragedy...how these inmates are treated and the deplorable conditions that currently exist," Elman said.
Khadu was facing charges of second degree murder, following an arrest in December of 2019. His next court date was scheduled for October 25th.
On September 19th, Isaabdul Karim, 42, a Rikers Island detainee, died after reporting that he wasn’t feeling well and was taken to a medical clinic. His exact cause of death is unknown, but his attorneys said he’d previously contracted COVID-19 while languishing for ten days in an intake area at the jail.
Earlier this month, Esias Johnson, 24, died of an apparent drug overdose at another Rikers’ facility. In August, Segundo Guallpa, 58, and Brandon Rodriguez, 25, were separately found dead in their cells in apparent suicides.
The latest fatality comes as the jails contend with a spike in recent incidents of self harm and a resurgence of COVID-19 cases.
Mayor Bill de Blasio has vowed to hire private security to address a staffing crisis at Rikers, but has so far resisted calls to release inmates through a supervised release program. Earlier this month, Governor Kathy Hochul signed the "Less is More Act," legislation that, once it goes into effect next year, will end the practice of sending people to jail as await hearing for technical parole violations. She also ordered the state parole board to immediately release of 191 detainees on the island.
This article was updated as new information became available and has been corrected to accurately reflect Mr. Khadu's age at the time of his death. He was 24 years old, not 34 as originally stated.
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Rikers Island
department of correction
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George Joseph
George covers Brooklyn for THE CITY with a focus on criminal justice and housing. He previously worked for WNYC and Gothamist, and has published stories with NPR, ProPublica, Esquire, and The Intercept among other outlets.
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Jake Offenhartz
Jake Offenhartz is a former Gothamist reporter.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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