FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, September 4, 2025
Contact: Yonah Zeitz: yonah@katalcenter.org • 347-201-2769
Follow on socials @KatalCenter • #ShutRikers #CutShutInvestNY
Third Death at Rikers in Last Two Weeks, At Least the 12th Death in DOC Custody this Year
With the Death Toll Soaring Under Mayor Adams, Key Jail Oversight Legislation Awaits Gov. Hochul’s Signature
New York, NY: Late last night, news broke that another person died while being incarcerated at the George R. Vierno Center on Rikers Island. This is the twelfth person to die in DOC custody this year. At least 45 people have died since Eric Adams became mayor in 2022.
Statement from Melanie Dominguez, Organizing Director at the Katal Center for Equity, Health, and Justice:
“This is horrible. Three deaths at Rikers in less than two weeks. We send our deepest condolences to the family of the person who died at Rikers last night.
Twelve people have died in DOC custody this year. Since Mayor Adams took office, at least 45 people have died in NYC jails. Under Mayor Adams, the crisis is getting worse. This year’s death toll will likely double that of last year. To make matters worse, the jail population is going up when it should be decreasing. Rikers must be shut down. Until then, as the conditions continue to deteriorate, the federal court is currently selecting a ‘remediation manager’ to take over Rikers. While this is a necessary step, the process is slow, and people are suffering and dying.
Governor Hochul must take action here. In June, the state legislature passed an omnibus corrections oversight bill, which overhauls the State Commission on Correction– a watchdog agency with oversight powers over prisons and local jails, including Rikers. Right now, the only thing holding up this needed reform is Governor Kathy Hochul. She must sign the omnibus prison oversight bill into law now. Lives are at stake and the crisis is only getting worse, this is not time to delay.”
Background: 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.
#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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