5 inmates have died at Rikers Island in past six weeks, officials say
Five inmates have died at the Rikers Island jail complex in the last six weeks, officials say.
At least 38 people have died since New York City Mayor Eric Adams assumed office in 2022.
Dashawn Jenkins dies at Rikers Island, DOC says
The New York City Department of Correction confirms Dashawn Jenkins, 27, died while in custody Monday night, just one day after his birthday. Officials say staff noticed he was visibly ill while making their rounds and provided aid and medical emergency, but it wasn't enough.
The DOC commissioner said in a statement, "We share our condolences with his loved ones and will investigate every aspect of this tragedy."
The mayor says an autopsy will determine the cause of death.
According to court documents, Jenkins was arrested in Queens last summer and charged with burglary and criminal possession of stolen property. He had been at Rikers since July.
The Legal Aid Society is calling his death "a stark reminder of the ongoing human rights crisis unfolding at Rikers Island, which houses more people with mental illness than any other psychiatric hospital in the entire city."
DOC officials say Jenkins is the fifth death this year of someone in or just released into medical care from custody at Rikers.
According to the Board of Correction, five people in total died at the troubled jail complex in 2024.
"We give them the best medical care we can do, the best emotional care we can do, but people enter Rikers with real health issues," Mayor Eric Adams said.
Advocates once again call for closure of Rikers Island
The Freedom Agenda, a grassroots organization in New York City dedicated to helping those impacted by incarceration, says most people in custody at Rikers have not yet been convicted and are still waiting for their day in court.
"Black and Brown New Yorkers who are poor, if you get, go there for shoplifting, of course you don't have thousands of dollars to release on bail, so that's why they're there," co-director Darren Mack said.
As of Monday, there were 7,106 people in custody on Rikers, the highest total since 2019.
"Rikers Island is undermining public safety and wasting resources," Mack said.
Recent studies show more than half of those in custody at Rikers struggle with mental health issues.
"The Department of Correction doesn't have the skills or expertise to deal with the mental health crisis in our city," Mack said.
According to the city comptroller's office, it costs $507,000 to house just one detainee on Rikers Island a year.
"The only solution is closure," Mack said.
Advocates are demanding Rikers be put into receivership, which would take authority over the jails from the mayor. It's currently under consideration for federal takeover and remains behind schedule for its 2027 closure.
