Man dies while in custody at Rikers Island on same day new scathing report released by federal monitor
NEW YORK -- A detainee died at Rikers Island on Thursday, making him the ninth person to die while in custody at the troubled jail complex this year.
The death happened on the same day the federal monitor released a new scathing report on Rikers, and as a federal judge considers whether a federal receiver should over the jail.
The Department of Correction has said for months that conditions are improving, but the new report says Rikers remains unsafe and the DOC's efforts to improve conditions have been, "superficial, poorly implemented or ineffective."
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The federal monitor says there were 74 fights at Rikers during one week alone last month.
An image from a Rikers security camera shows one inmate attacking another the morning of Sept. 14. The new report says the bloodied inmate walked back to his cell and didn't get treatment for his broken nose and other injuries for more than five hours, even though a correction officer had walked by the collapsed victim in a stairwell just minutes after the attack.
Sarena Townsend is a defense attorney and former DOC deputy commissioner who oversaw internal affairs and staff discipline.
"We have seen so many reports of people having injuries on Rikers Island that are only exacerbated by the fact that they're not getting treated," Townsend said.
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The federal monitor says on Sept. 17, inmates walked in and out of a cell where a fight lasted about 90 seconds, and an officer had unlocked the cell and then walked away just before that fight. Two days after the attack, a victim was taken to a clinic, where medical staff discovered a fracture on the left side of his face.
The report also criticizes the DOC for not promptly reporting assaults internally or to the monitoring team.
"It seemed to me like the monitor is assessing not only the conditions on Rikers Island, but also Commissioner Molina's ability and willingness to be transparent," Townsend said.
On Aug. 23, an inmate brutally attacked an officer and DOC Commissioner Louis Molina released a statement saying, "I want to commend the second officer who intervened and stopped the attack."
But the new report says the attack was stopped by another inmate and, "The second officer only came on the scene after a second incarcerated individual had pulled off the assailant."
The federal monitor cites that as an example of his claim that Molina makes public statements that "distort the current state of affairs."
"This monitor's report comes as close as it ever has to supporting federal receivership," Townsend said.
CBS New York reached out to the DOC for comment, but did not immediately hear back.
