FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, November 21st, 2025
Contact: Yonah Zeitz: yonah@katalcenter.org • 347-201-2769
Follow on socials @KatalCenter • #ShutRikers #CutShutInvestNY
Death Toll At Rikers Continues to Rise, Following At Least the 13th Death this Year, As Key Jail and Prison Oversight Legislation Awaits Gov. Hochul’s Signature
New York, NY: This morning, news broke that a man incarcerated at the Otis Bantum Correctional Center at Rikers Island died overnight following a medical episode. No further details have been released at this time. This is the twelfth person to die in DOC custody this year. At least 46 people have died since Eric Adams became mayor in 2022.
As the crisis at Rikers deepens, a reform proposal sits on the desk of Gov. Kathy Hochul. In June, the New York Legislature passed a Jail and Prison Oversight Omnibus 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. But Gov. Hochul has so far taken no action on the legislation.
Today, 60% of New Yorkers held at Rikers have needed mental health services, 22% are diagnosed with a serious mental illness, 25% suffer from an opioid disorder, 28% of people were diagnosed with lung disease, and 15% with cardiovascular disease. On Wednesday, the Data Collaboration for Justice at John Jay College and the Katal Center released a new report titled: Rikers Island and Mental Health: Pathways Toward Community-Based Diversion and Jail Population Reduction. With the jail population on the rise and with increasing health needs, this report offers solutions for the next mayor and city council aimed at reducing the number of people on Rikers in need of mental health treatment and advancing the city’s commitment to shut down Rikers.
Statement from Jeffery Davis, member of the Katal Center for Equity, Health, and Justice: “It is so tragic that yet another person passed away at Rikers Island. This is weighing so heavy on my spirit. I’ve been detained at Rikers and I know how terrible the conditions are and how corrupt it is. Individuals are being denied access to lifesaving medical attention, they are being fed food that is not nutritious, and experiencing horrible violence. In any way you look at it, Rikers Island is designed to kill people who look like me. It is shameful that this year alone, at least 13 people have died under the custody of the Department of Corrections. The number of deaths has more than doubled compared to the previous year. This must come to an end! Mayor Eric Adams and the city must take drastic measures to decarcerate and shut down Rikers. Governor Hochul also has a moral responsibility to take immediate action to address these conditions by signing the Jail & Prison Oversight Omnibus Bill – S.8415 (Salazar)/A.8871 (Dilan) – now. Section H of this bill would overhaul the State Commission of Corrections, which is a commission with the power to close correctional facilities like Rikers that are failing to keep people in ‘safe, stable, and humane conditions.’”
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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