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Another Detainee At Rikers Dies in Custody, 16th In City Jails This Year
By
Matt Katz
Published Dec 15, 2021
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Seth Wenig/AP/Shutterstock
By
Matt Katz
Published Dec 15, 2021
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A 55-year-old man died at Rikers Island on Tuesday after being found in medical distress, the Department of Corrections reported, marking the 16th death this year of a person held in the city’s troubled jail system.
William Brown, 55, was just six days away from a court date for an alleged robbery and other charges, records show. CPR was administered on the scene. The cause of death is under investigation by the city’s Chief Medical Officer, officials said. He’d been in custody since mid-November.
“I am devastated to know that another person entrusted in our care has passed away,” said Department of Corrections Commissioner Vincent Schiraldi in a written statement, mirroring remarks he’s made in response to other deaths this year. “We will work diligently to determine the circumstances surrounding his death. My deepest sympathy goes out to Mr. Brown’s loved ones.”
Fourteen detainees in city jails have died this year while in custody, the most since 2016. Two others died shortly after being granted compassionate release.
Last Friday, 28-year-old Malcolm Boatwright died at Bellevue Hospital after experiencing a “medical issue,” according to the Department of Correction.
Conditions at Rikers have come under intense scrutiny from politicians and criminal-justice reform advocates. Incidents of self-harm have increased during the pandemic; five deaths this year were determined to be suicides. Staffing shortages due to correction officers calling out sick or not showing up for work have led to detainees missing medical appointments. And backlogs in the courts due to the pandemic have resulted in more people being locked up for longer periods of time as they await trials.
The most recent report from a federal monitor overseeing reforms at Rikers showed that violence continues to be rampant, with the number of slashings and use-of-force incidents higher than in previous years.
Advocates said Brown’s death demonstrates the need to decarcerate Rikers, which is scheduled to close by 2027, though the plan to replace it with a series of borough-based jails has faced opposition from local activists.
“With just over a week before many of us will be celebrating Christmas, we now have a sixteenth family grieving the unnecessary and traumatic loss of their loved one in New York City’s jails,” said Jerome Wright of the Jails Action Coalition. “If the city can’t keep people in jail safe, then they shouldn’t be locking people up at all. Incarcerated people’s lives matter.”
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Matt Katz
Matt Katz is a former WNYC & Gothamist reporter.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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