FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, March 31st, 2026
Contact: Yonah Zeitz: yonah@katalcenter.org • 347-201-2769
Follow on socials @KatalCenter • #ShutRikers #CutShutInvestNY
With Two Deaths in NYC Jails Within a Week, the State Commission of Correction Fails to Address the Crisis at Rikers During Their March Monthly Meeting
Nine Years After the City Committed to Closing Rikers, the Death Toll Continues to Mount, and the Closure Plan is Significantly Delayed
New York: This morning, the State Commission of Correction (SCOC), the government watchdog agency with authority over local jails and state prisons, including Rikers Island, held its March monthly meeting. The public portion of the meeting lasted less than four minutes, and the Commission failed to address the crisis unfolding at Rikers Island and other jails and prisons across New York. In the last week, two people died in NYC DOC custody, and the commission failed to raise this issue and take meaningful action.
Today marks the nine-year anniversary of when then-Mayor Bill De Blasio made it official New York City policy to shut down Rikers. Since that announcement, at least 100 people have died in city jails, and conditions continue to worsen. Things have gotten so bad that in January 2026, the federal court appointed Nicolas Delm as a remediation manager to address the decades of violence and dysfunction plaguing Rikers. While the city passed a plan to close Rikers in 2019, it is currently off track and significantly delayed.
The SCOC is mandated with the constitutional authority to ensure that correctional facilities across New York – all local jails and state prisons – are “safe, stable, and humane.” The SCOC’s wide-ranging authority includes the power to shut down Rikers for consistently violating the rights of incarcerated people. In 2018, the Commission called for the closure of Rikers, but has yet to take any meaningful action to achieve the aim, even as the toll of deaths rises and conditions worsen.
Last year, Gov. Kathy Hochul signed into law the Jail and Prison Oversight Omnibus Bill, which includes overhauling the State Commission of Correction. While these reforms have yet to be implemented, the commission continues to fail its oversight responsibilities. The SCOC’s Medical Review Board is “responsible for the investigation and review of the cause and circumstances surrounding the death of any incarcerated individual of a correctional facility, for making recommendations to prevent the recurrence of such deaths to the Commission and the administrator of the correctional facility,” and should aggressively investigate the recent deaths at Rikers. While the board is supposed to meet quarterly, the next meeting isn’t until December 5, 2026.
Statement from directed impacted people and community groups:
Lah Franklin, Member of the Katal Center, said: “We had yet another tragedy at the hands of the Department of Correction. My deepest condolences to the family. The neglect at the New York City DOC is at an all-time high. Families are losing loved ones due to a lack of medical care and inhumane conditions. The conditions are unsafe for both incarcerated people and staff. As of today, Rikers Island is in a state of severe crisis, characterized by high rates of death, persistent violence, and alleged staff neglect. A recent report, released by the Federal Monitor, indicated ‘chaos and deception’ with continued deaths of incarcerated individuals, including two in March 2026.
I call on the State Commission on Correction to do its job and address the ongoing crisis unfolding at Rikers Island. They cannot keep convening these roughly 4-minute-long monthly meetings, where they never discuss these important matters that are putting lives at risk. They must move to closing Rikers Island.”
Sharon McLennon Wier, Ph.D., MSEd., CRC, LMHC, Executive Director of CIDNY, said: “The Center for Independence of the Disabled, New York (CIDNY) supports the right to humane treatment for people who are incarcerated in jails like Rikers Island. People with disabilities are entitled to their disability-related rights even while housed in New York State jails and prisons. We encourage Governor Hochul to appoint reform-minded commissioners to the SCOC this spring who have experience with incarceration and disability.”
Kevin Valentine, Member of the Katal Center, said: “I was deeply saddened to learn of the death of John Price, the 2nd death of someone while under the custody of the Department of Corrections. As someone who has been through the system, I wonder what priority has been given to the medical prescreening/evaluation process at Rikers Island. Every incarcerated person deserves access to proper medical care. Conditions in New York’s jails and prisons are life-threatening and have been this way for decades. The State Commission on Correction (SCOC) needs to do much more to address and reform these conditions. They have a tremendous responsibility of ensuring these correctional facilities are humane, and if not, as is the case at Rikers, they can and must shut it down.”
Messiah Ramkissoon, Deputy Executive Director at Youth Justice Network, said: “How many lives will it cost before Rikers Island is closed for good? Every person incarcerated has the right to be safe, and we are fed up with hearing about needless and senseless deaths. We have already passed the time to act, and every delay puts more people at risk. The administration must follow through on its promise to close Rikers, supported by a prioritized budget and a realistic timeline. The State Commission of Correction must use it’s authority to advance closure and hold the city accountable.”
Mary Buser, Co-Director at Social Workers & Allies against Solitary Confinement, said: “Now, more than ever, the incarcerated people of New York state live in fear of abuse and neglect. As the prison oversight agency, SCOC must ensure their safety!”
Glory Gibson, Member of the Katal Center, said: “My heart goes out to all the families, just like mine, who fear for the safety of their incarcerated loved one. In a single week, two incarcerated people have died while under the custody of the Department of Corrections in NYC. What’s happening at Rikers is unacceptable. I send my deepest condolences to the families who are grieving. These recent deaths underscore the urgent need for the State Commission on Correction to use its powers to address the crisis at Rikers. They have the power to shut down facilities like Rikers Island that are failing to keep incarcerated people in ‘safe, stable, and humane’ conditions. They must use that power now!”
Melanie Dominguez, organizing director of the Katal Center for Equity, Health, and Justice: “It is unconscionable that there is an independent watchdog agency in New York that is sitting idly by while conditions across state jails and prisons worsen and incarcerated people die. The State Commission on Correction has constitutional authority to shut down correctional facilities like Rikers Island that are failing to keep people safe. This commission has long been aware of the crisis at Rikers, and in 2018, it released a report concluding that it should examine steps to close Rikers expeditiously. Eight years later, they have done absolutely nothing to achieve this aim. That is why our members and organizational partners organized to get Gov. Hochul to sign the Jail and Prison Omnibus bill last year, which overhauls the SCOC. Now, the governor must appoint reform-oriented commissioners to ensure the commission fulfills its mandate. As the city’s plan to close Rikers remains off track, and incarcerated people continue to die, the SCOC must use its authority to advance the closure of 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.
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