Early this morning, a woman detained on Rikers Island was found unresponsive, marking the fourth reported detainee death at the New York City jail this year. According to the Department of Correction, the deceased was discovered when an officer attempted to serve her breakfast around 4:45 a.m. at Rikers' West Facility, as detailed in a report by the Gothamist. Efforts to revive her were made, involving jail medical staff and paramedics, but were declared unsuccessful shortly before 5:30 a.m. The woman's identity was not immediately released.
The death is suspected to be a suicide, based on sources mentioned in a related story from the New York Daily News. The incident is currently under investigation. This latest fatality is part of a troubling pattern, with the number of deaths this year set to quickly surpass last year's total of five detainee deaths as reported by the city Board of Correction. Furthermore, the rise in jail population, now over 7,000—predominantly pretrial detainees—adds to the ongoing concerns at the facility.
In response to the incident, Department of Correction Commissioner Lynelle Maginley-Liddie expressed her condolences, stating, "Care for those in our facilities is a pillar of our mission and a loss of life weighs heavily on every member of service," in a statement obtained by Gothamist. The woman's death comes just one day after the reveal that Rikers will not close by its legally mandated deadline, due to delays in constructing replacement facilities, as reported by the same publication.
Amid overcrowding issues, the Department of Correction (DOC) has recently received approval to expand bed capacity in the West Facility, traditionally a male facility, now apparently housing women as well. "Citing overcrowding, DOC received approval March 11 to expand 12 dorms in the West Facility from 50 beds to 56 beds," the New York Daily News reports. This broader issue of jail overcrowding has been further exacerbated by court backlogs and a high number of mentally ill detainees, as mentioned by the Independent Rikers Commission.
