Dear Community,
On Sunday, Elijah Muhammad became the tenth detainee to die while imprisoned on Rikers Island. He lay dead inside a cell hours before correction staff members discovered his body.
This incident follows an alarming trend of rising deaths among the Rikers prison population, which have spiked to an all-time high this year. These deaths are not isolated incidents; they are part of a pattern of negligence and lack of safety at Rikers.
Sending individuals to a prison complex should not be equivalent to a death sentence. Unfortunately, the deprivation of basic resources like food, beds, and medical attention, along with repeatedly mismanaged policies, have created an environment at Rikers that is often violent for detainees and staff, many of whom are awaiting trial or being detained for technical parole violations.
Enough is enough. Despite the continued decreases in the Rikers prison population, conditions at the facility have not improved. The City has proven yet again its inability to create a safe, humane environment for individuals held at Rikers, so I am calling for management of the complex to be taken over by a federal receiver until the prison is closed. Read my full statement here.
This has gone on long enough, and we cannot afford to wait any longer. It is time for a new approach that solves this humanitarian crisis and values the safety of all individuals––detainees, staff, and medical workers––at Rikers Island.
With Gratitude,
State Senator Alessandra Biaggi
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