FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, July 22, 2025
Contact: Yonah Zeitz: yonah@katalcenter.org • 347-201-2769
Follow on socials @KatalCenter • #ShutRikers #CutShutInvestNY
Today, Another Person Died in DOC Custody, At Least the 9th Death this Year
With at Least 42 Deaths at Rikers Under Adams, Jail Oversight Legislation Awaits Hochul’s Signature
New York, NY: Today, news broke that another person died while being incarcerated at Rikers Island. This is the ninth person to die in DOC custody this year; at least 42 people have died since Eric Adams became mayor in 2022.
On June 12, the New York Legislature passed an omnibus corrections oversight bill, S.8415 (Salazar)/A.8871 (Dilan), that includes overhauling the government watchdog—the State Commission of Correction—with authority over local jails and state prisons, including Rikers Island. The bill is currently awaiting Governor Kathy Hochul’s signature.
Statement from Katal Center
Glory Gibson, Member of the Katal Center for Equity, Health, and Justice, said: “The conditions at the Rikers Island jail complex are deplorable. Learning that yet another person has died at Rikers—marking the ninth death this year under the Adams administration—is truly horrific. It only makes me worry more about the safety of my brother, who is currently incarcerated there. I send my deepest condolences to the family and friends of the deceased. No family should have to receive such devastating news or constantly live in fear about whether their loved one has made it through the night while detained at Rikers.
Now more than ever, Governor Hochul must urgently sign into law the omnibus bill S.8415 (Salazar) / A.8871 (Dilan), which includes ten correctional oversight and accountability measures. Section H of the omnibus bill features legislation S.856 (Salazar) / A.2315 (Gallagher), which would overhaul the State Commission of Correction (SCOC)—the watchdog agency with investigative and oversight authority over every jail and prison in the state. The SCOC has the power to shut down facilities like Rikers Island that fail to maintain ‘safe, stable, and humane’ conditions for incarcerated people. Governor Hochul must sign this bill now.”
Background: #ShutRikers is a campaign of the Katal Center for Equity, Health, and Justice. Katal members, supporters, and our allies are working to cut the correctional populations and the budgets used for caging people; shut down Rikers Island; and invest in real public safety: housing, health care, education, and jobs.
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