New York City jails are deadlier than they have been in more than 25 years, according to an analysis of city data by Gothamist.
As of Sunday, 19 people had died in city custody or shortly after being released this year, of an average daily population of nearly 6,000 people, Gothamist reported. That's the highest since 1996, when 84 people died and the average daily population was nearly 20,000 people.
The New York Times wrote: "Long besieged by intractable problems, Rikers Island and the city's other jail facilities have been engulfed in violence and disorder since 2020, when an outbreak of Covid among correction officers hurt morale and led to chronic staff absenteeism. With so few guards showing up for work, some detainees have been forced to go without food or medical care."
On Sunday, Edgardo Mejias, 39, died on Rikers Island, according to the city Department of Corrections. Mejias had been held since October on $15,000 bail, Gothamist reported.
The department did not explain the circumstances of Mejias' death. Mejias' attorney, Dean Vigliano, said his client had asthma, and had complained that he wasn't getting proper medical care for the condition at the Anna M. Kross Center jail where he was held. Vigliano said he outlined his concerns last month in a letter to the correction department. He was told on Friday that Mejias would be put on a treatment plan, he said.
The Office of the City Medical Examiner will determine Mejias' cause of death. His death will also be investigated by the state Attorney General's Office, the New York Post reported.
In addition to the high death rate, Rikers has been plagued this year by skyrocketing violence and lack of access to medical care, Gothamist reported. A federal monitoring team that oversees Rikers has collected more than $18 million in taxpayer money since 2015 to force reforms, but data shows the jails have become less safe.
According to The New York Times, "Mayor Eric Adams and his jails commissioner, Louis A. Molina, have vowed to enact a reform plan that was ordered and approved this year by a federal judge. But lawyers for the incarcerated have said that the city is incapable of keeping detainees safe, and they have called for an outside official to take control of the jails."
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.