Rikers Island deaths reach 11
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Isaabdul Karim died in custody on Rikers Island on Sunday, Sept. 19, 2021. AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews, File
A 42-year-old man in custody on Rikers Island died on Sunday, marking the 11th time an incarcerated person has died in the troubled jail complex in the past year.
Isaabdul Karim died around 7:25 p.m. after being rushed to the North Infirmary Command earlier that day, according to the Department of Correction. The cause of death is under investigation.
Karim was booked into Rikers on Aug. 18, on a state warrant for parole violation, according to DOC.
His death comes days after Gov. Kathy Hochul signed a parole reform bill into law. The Less is More Act, which won’t go into full effect until March 2022, would end incarceration of individuals who commit technical parole violations.
Karim, who was represented by attorneys at the Legal Aid Society, was booked for using marijuana and failing to make an office report, the lawyers said, adding that Karim had medical issues that were exacerbated by spending ten days in intake and being denied his medications and medical care.
“Technical violations - including marijuana use and failing to report, the non-criminal charges that led to Mr. Karim’s remand - should not amount to a death sentence, and New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision Commissioner Anthony Annucci has much to answer for,” said Tina Luongo, the attorney-in-charge of the Criminal Defense Practice at The Legal Aid Society.
“In signing the Less Is More Act on Friday, Governor Hochul indicated that she would have enacted all provisions of Less Is More immediately if she could have,” Luongo added. “We demand that DOCCS heed the Governor’s call to action and lift all technical parole warrants immediately, as well as lift warrants in cases where people are held on parole violations and low bail.”
To cool the quickly deteriorating situation on Rikers, Hochul announced that the state would be releasing nearly 200 people who committed non-violent parole violations on Friday.
According to Mayor Bill de Blasio, Isaabdul was not on the state’s list.
“We want to know what happened here and why,” de Blasio said. “We need a full investigation to understand. But again, my initial information is he was not on that list from the state.”
The mayor added that 161 of the promised 191 had been released by Monday.
The jail complex has seen a spat of violence and death that has increased during the pandemic. DOC Commissioner Vincent Schiraldi has primarily blamed the conditions on the historic correctional officer staff shortage.
“Providing for the safety of incarcerated people is our core mission, and I am heartbroken that we have seen yet another death of a human being entrusted to our care,” the commissioner said. “The causes of this death so far appear to be natural, but that doesn't change the fact that we have serious issues in our jails.”
