Violence, staff shortages and dysfunction on Rikers Island aren't improving, report says
NEW YORK -- The violence, staff shortages and overall dysfunction on Rikers Island aren't getting better, according to the latest federal monitor's report.
The report comes as it was announced another Rikers Island detainee has died in custody. He has been identified as 39-year-old George Pagan.
With three months on the job, Department of Correction Commissioner Louis Molina says assaults are down, more correction officers are at work and more than 100 weapons have been confiscated on Rikers Island.
In a statement, he added, "We are moving forward as swiftly as possible to fix longstanding issues."
CBS2's Aundrea Cline-Thomas spoke on the phone with Melvin Collins, who is being held at Rikers on felony burglary and sexual assault charges.
"These gang members down here don't care. If you're not for them, they stab you, cut you immediately to get you out of the area," he said.
His account was corroborated by the latest scathing report from the federal monitor saying at the outset, "the Department is trapped in a state of persistent dysfunctionality ... even the first step to improve ... is undercut by the absence of elementary skill."
As for the violence, the monitor describes continued chaos as detainees easily roam around while basic protocols, like locking doors, are not always followed.
There were more than 6,200 fights in 2021, and in January alone, there were 48 stabbings or slashings. Those who are hurt can wait hours for medical care and some assaults go unreported.
"It's absolutely horrendous with no staff for protection and making it seem as if they can't," Collins said.
According to the report, some housing units at times are unstaffed.
Thirty percent of correction officers are still out sick or unable to work with detainees, adding to the stress and hardship for those who show up.
The chaos comes at an increasing cost, averaging an all-time high of $556,539 per detainee per year with taxpayers footing the bill.
As Cline-Thomas reports, none of this is normal. In comparison, the Los Angeles jail system has twice as many detainees, but spends much less money and has less violence.
Sources with the DOC here say it's unrealistic to expect a turnaround so early in a new administration.
