FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sunday, March 29th, 2026
Contact: Yonah Zeitz: yonah@katalcenter.org • 347-201-2769
Follow on socials @KatalCenter • #ShutRikers #CutShutInvestNY
2nd Death in DOC Custody This Week Highlights the Deadly Conditions at Rikers Island Jail Complex
As the Death Count Rises, Mayor Mamdani’s Proposes Budget That Increases DOC Budget While Underfunding Programs to Decrease the Jail Population and Advance Closure of Rikers
New York, This afternoon, news broke that John Price, 49-years-old, died while in DOC custody. He was incarcerated at the Eric M. Taylor Center on Rikers Island. Yesterday, he was transported to Elmhurst Hospital due to a medical emergency and he passed away early this morning. This is the second death of an incarcerated person in DOC custody this week.
On Tuesday, the New York City Council Committee on Criminal Justice held a preliminary hearing on the budget for Fiscal Year 2027. The Mamdani administration’s budget proposal increases the DOC budget by 5 percent, while failing to increase investments in proven solutions to safely reduce the jail population, such as ATI’s, supervised release, JISH housing, IMT, FACT teams, and B-HEARD mental health responses (see the recommendations section of our mental health and Rikers report for more details). With the timeline for the Borough-Based Jails significantly delayed, the proposed budget increases funding for the DOC without a clear and reconfigured plan that provides a definite date for when Rikers will be closed.
Statement from Melanie Dominguez, organizing director of the Katal Center for Equity, Health, and Justice: “We send our deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of Mr. Price. This tragedy underscores the urgent need to shut down Rikers.
In response to this recent death, Mayor Mamdani stated that all incarcerated people deserve dignity and safety, yet his budget proposal doesn’t reflect this commitment. The mayor’s words must be followed by actions, otherwise the death toll will continue to rise just as it did under the previous administration. The only way to keep incarcerated people safe is to reduce the jail population and shut down the deadly Rikers Island Jail Complex once and for all. To do this, the Mamdani administration must pass a budget that increases funding to alternatives to incarceration, supportive housing, and other proven solutions that safely reduce the jail population without relying on incarceration.
With two deaths in DOC in less than a week, we demand action and a budget that reflects the administration’s commitment to close Rikers. ”
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 community safety: housing, health care, including mental health, education, and jobs.
###