New York City Department of Correction in Crisis Due to Surge in COVID-19 Cases; Less Than 50% of Inmates Are Vaccinated

Activists Rally Outside Courthouses Against Dangerous Jail Conditions

(Photo : Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - DECEMBER 10: Activists calling for jail and prison reforms rally outside of Brooklyn Criminal Court on December 10, 2021 in New York City. The group, which includes formerly incarcerated individuals, is calling for judges and district attorneys to stop sending people into New York City jails which activists claim are dangerous and deadly. It was announced today by the Department of Correction that another person has died in a New York jail, the 15th person this year.

The New York City Department of Correction faces more criticisms following a surge in COVID-19 cases at Rikers Island.

According to reports, the facility is known for having inhumane conditions, frequent violence, and a lack of oversight. This year alone, the facility recorded multiple deaths due to various reasons.

Commissioner Vincent Schiraldi said that the inmates in custody are facing a crisis level due to the sudden spike in COVID-19 cases. Even though the facility sits on 400-acres of land, there is not much space for the thousands of inmates to practice social distancing.

Vaccination rates at Rikers Island remain low

The vaccination rates at Rikers Island have not also helped prevent the spread of the deadly virus. Only 38 percent of the inmates are fully vaccinated as press writing. Approximately 45 percent have only received their first dose. There's also approximately a 17 percent positivity rate, which is a huge increase compared to the previous months' recorded 1 percent positivity rate.

According to CNN, the biggest jump in the number of active cases happened between Dec. 19 and 20 after 76 inmates tested positive for COVID-19.

Schiraldi is seeking the help of officials to reduce the number of people in the jail through supervised release and by modifying the sentence lengths of those that are eligible.

The commissioner also pleads for officials to halt new admissions to all New York City jails, especially those dealing with the COVID-19 crisis.

"The virus is spreading like wildfire throughout Rikers Island and other DOC facilities, exacerbating an ongoing humanitarian crisis that has already taken the lives of sixteen people this year and forced countless others to endure life-threatening conditions while in custody," the statement read via CBS News.

Mayor Bill de Blasio doesn't seem concerned

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio released a statement saying that the active cases in jail facilities are not as bad as last year's incidences.

Dr. Mitchell Katz, CEO of NYC Health and Hospitals, echoed de Blasio's statement by saying that no one has been hospitalized despite the ongoing uptick in COVID-19 cases at the correction facilities.

Rikers Island faces staffing issues

Last month, NBC New York revealed an ongoing staffing crisis on Rikers Island.

In 2018, one of the detainees was attacked by other inmates, and the CCTV camera inside the facility captured the incident. One correction officer rushed to try and break up the altercation but failed. The officer didn't also receive backup for two minutes, which caused more damage to the attacked detainee.

Viktoriya Nasyrova said that she became partially blind following the attack. And she filed a lawsuit against the Department of Correction because she and her lawyer believe that the fight wouldn't have escalated if more staff had come to her rescue.

The Department of Correction settled the lawsuit for $325,000, but they didn't admit any wrongdoing. However, everyone knows that there's an ongoing staffing problem at Rikers Island, making the conditions there unsafe and borderline inhumane.