Statement on Number of Deaths in DOC Custody

26… The number of deaths in New York City’s jails over the past 18 months should shock the conscience of all New Yorkers; each number represents a life lost. The death of 44-year-old Curtis Jones on Rikers Island on Sunday marks the seventh in New York City’s jails this year. This month alone, four people have died in the custody of the NYC Department of Correction (DOC).  Last year, more people died in DOC custody than in the previous decade. The most recent report from the federal court-appointed monitor in the Nunez case should also shock the conscience, describing levels of violence and chaos that have worsened despite eight years of federal oversight.  According to the report: “The current state of affairs and rates of use of force, stabbings and slashings, fights, assaults on staff, and in-custody deaths remain extraordinarily high—they are not typical, they are not expected, they are not normal.”  We must ask: what level of “not normal” must be reached before major change is instituted to prevent more deaths? 

We must not become numb to the terrible reality that the people who are held in and who work in our city jails are in constant grave danger.  That is why the Fortune Society welcomed the announcement that the United States Attorney’s Office will call for appointment of a federal receiver.  We should all be fueled by a sense of urgency to ensure that our city jails are operated with transparency, diligence, and respect for safety and human rights.