Man locked up for technical parole violation dies at Rikers
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A 53-year-old man detained on Rikers Island for a technical parole violation died Sunday. Eagle file photo by David Brand
By David Brand
A 53-year-old man locked up on Rikers Island for a technical parole violation died Sunday, just two days after joining a 100-person lawsuit against the city and state urging officials to release inmates at particular risk of contracting and dying from the coronavirus.
Michael Tyson was listed as the 18th plaintiff in a lawsuit filed in Bronx Supreme Court Friday by the Legal Aid Society. He had been detained in city custody since Feb. 28, according to jail records.
“They are 53 years old and suffer from underlying health conditions,” the complaint states. “As a result of their conditions and age, they are at increased risk for severe illness or death if they contract COVID-19.”
Though Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced last month that he would release more than 600 inmates held in city jails for technical parole violations — administrative violations, like missing a curfew or a meeting with a parole officer — hundreds remain behind bars.
“Words are not actions, and this is a crisis that calls for decisive action,” said Corey Stoughton, the top attorney in Legal Aid’s Special Litigation Unit.
Tyson was one of hundreds of Rikers Island inmates who have tested positive for the illness.
As of Monday morning, 286 inmates, as well as 333 correctional staff, inside New York City jails have tested positive for COVID-19, according to city data.
In addition to more than 600 inmates and Department of Correction workers, another 59 Correctional Health Service employees also have tested positive for the illness, according to the reports compiled by the Department of Correction and posted online by the Board of Correciton, which oversees the city jails.
The number of inmates with confirmed cases of COVID-19 accounts for 6.4 percent of the total jail population, which has reached historic lows as the city, state and local prosecutors gradually move to release people held in pretrial detention, locked up for technical parole violations or who are serving city sentences of less than one year.
As of Monday morning, there were 4,441 people behind bars on Rikers Island and in other city-run jails.
