Even as the population of New York City jails declined over the past half decade, the death rate among detainees surged, according to fatality statistics provided to the Daily News.
Death rates at Rikers Island and other lockups in 2021 and 2022 were higher than in any year since 2000, according to city Board of Correction data obtained via a freedom of information request by the Jails Action Coalition, an advocacy group.
The federal monitoring team in a lawsuit over violence in city jails said in court papers Thursday that it’s not ready to approve the Risk Management Accountability System, known by the initials RMAS. “The department is not ready to adequately implement RMAS, which is a complicated, staff-intensive program model,” the monitoring team wrote.
The relatives made the urgent appeal while testifying before a City Council hearing focused on what Mayor Adams' Department of Correction is doing to prevent self-harm among Rikers inmates.