New York City Council oversight hearing held on effort to improve conditions on Rikers Island
NEW YORK -- A City Council committee grilled the head of the Department of Correction on Tuesday as Rikers Island grapples with its highest death toll in nearly a decade.
Outside City Hall, activists call for the troubled jail to close.
"The things I experienced while I was there were horrific," said Kmea Jones, who was released from the jail last week. "You hear the stories, but you don't truly know how horrible the conditions are. I'm sorry."
Inside, Department of Correction Commissioner Louis Molina painted a different picture.
"The department has demonstrated that progress has been made and has shown its commitment to reform," Molina said.
READ MORE: New York City reaches settlement in class-action lawsuit over release delays at Rikers Island
The Committee on Criminal Justice questioned Molina on a federally monitored action plan to improve the city's troubled jail system.
"Something's not working right now. It's not working," Councilwoman Gale Brewer said.
Some activists and council members have expressed support for a federal takeover of Rikers Island. However, Molina argued against that plan and said his department is improving staffing and expanding searches for weapons.
Nonetheless, the Department of Correction said in late October that an inmate stabbed a correction officer in the back of the head 15 times.
The commissioner also revealed Tuesday the department is considering scanning inmates' mail to keep drugs out.
On Sunday, a Rikers inmate named Edgardo Mejias died of a suspected overdose.
"There was no indication that there was any on our staff to not respond as quickly as we could, which was within seconds," Molina said.
READ MORE: DOC Commissioner Louis Molina blames de Blasio administration for problems at Rikers Island
Molina also stated Tuesday that the inmate population will not drop to 3,300 by 2027 -- a key metric for previously announced plans to close Rikers Island and replace it with smaller borough-based jails. That's a statement that concerned Councilman Lincoln Restler.
"Rikers Island must close and it must close swiftly," Restler said.
The Department of Correction is expected to release a report on its progress in April of next year.
