Department of Correction says there will be discipline following overnight death of another inmate
NEW YORK -- The overnight death of an inmate at Rikers Island is sparking an internal review, and the Department of Correction says it has already decided there will be discipline.
CBS New York investigative reporter Tim McNicholas has the latest on the investigation.
The DOC said in a statement it is reviewing what happened but has already determined "procedural violations were discovered and suspensions will be issued."
It declined to say what those violations are, but CBS New York is learning more about what led up to this inmate's death.
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Just before midnight at Rikers, a 40-year-old inmate started complaining of chest pains. DOC records obtained by CBS New York show the staff took an inmate name Felix Taveras to a medical clinic where he "began to have a seizure."
Records say the staff gave Taveras the anti-overdose drug Narcan, and then EMS took him to Elmhurst Hospital, where a doctor determined he had died around 1:20 a.m.
When asked for her reaction, former DOC Deputy Commissioner Sarena Townsend said, "I was very upset to hear about it, but I was not necessarily surprised."
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Townsend, who oversaw internal investigations during her tenure, is now a criminal defense attorney who has several clients at Rikers.
She did not represent Taveras.
"The summertime months are usually the most deadly and dangerous for detainees and staff on Rikers Island and conditions on Rikers Island have been deteriorating year after year," Townsend said.
From City Council hearings to protests, the DOC has been criticized for decades over what some describe as mismanagement and dysfunction at Rikers.
Attorneys representing inmates say 23 people have now died in New York City jails over the last year and a half.
Townsend and other attorneys have called for a federal takeover of Rikers, but DOC Commissioner Luis Molina and Mayor Eric Adams have told CBS New York that's not the answer.
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When asked on June 8 if he has full faith in his commissioner, Adams said, "Without a doubt. But even when you looked at ... look at the numbers, it is not only what my opinion may be. The numbers are showing how we're moving in the right direction."
CBS New York asked the DOC for more details on the violations it discovered Tuesday morning, but has not heard back.
Sources tell CBS New York Taveras was locked up in connection to a burglary charge on Staten Island.