Reports of mentally ill being locked in, denied treatment at Rikers sparks investigation

The grounds of societal idiosyncratic Justyna Rzewinski astir the extended lock-ins –  oregon “deadlocking” – of severely mentally sick radical successful a Rikers Island jailhouse Tuesday drew the afloat attraction of a metropolis jailhouse oversight board and pledges from a  apical Correction Department authoritative to investigate.

Rzewinski appeared earlier the Board of Correction after she elaborate exclusively to the Daily News however men were locked successful their cells successful intelligence wellness units for weeks and adjacent months astatine the George R. Vierno Center, causing utmost behaviour similar relentless screaming, banging connected their doors time and nighttime and smearing their ain feces.

“This signifier is wide known and wide practiced,’ Rzewinski told the board. “It was good established and passim my time, I saw much and much individuals subjected to it.”

Justyna Rzewinski, a erstwhile Social Worker who worked astatine City Jails testify’s. (NYC.gov)

The members of the board, who person often been astatine likelihood connected different matters, seemed to hold her relationship called for further examination.

“These allegations are damning, particularly to perceive they are being utilized punitively. I suggest we truly excavation further into this,” said Vice Chair Helen Skipper, a City Council appointee.

Board Chair Dwayne Sampson, an Adams medication appointee, said, “This interest of deadlocking has been a interest of excavation since I’ve been connected this board. The changeless excuses of staffing and nary aesculapian staff, it’s endless.”

DOC Commissioner Lynelle Maginley-Liddie did not be the hearing; a DOC spokeswoman declining to accidental wherefore she did not appear.

DOC’s wide counsel James Conway disputed the signifier was occurring astatine the “breadth and scope” characterized by Rzewinski.

“We are looking into the allegation wholesale truthful I don’t person a batch of specifics. Until we further the investigation, we can’t remark further,” Conway said.

Later, pressed by committee subordinate Robert Cohen, Conway said, “There are procedures. It should not beryllium categorized arsenic conscionable benignant of a willy-nilly we’re doing it. Anything beyond that is not thing this commissioner volition tolerate.”

But Dr. Bupin Subedi, the main aesculapian serviceman with Correctional Health Services, the metropolis bureau that oversees aesculapian attraction successful the jail, told the committee helium did not quality immoderate portion of Rzewinski’s account.

Joseph Otonichar, the CHS main of intelligence health, besides seemed to contradict Conway connected the grade of the practice.

“I’ve heard this word since I’ve started,” Otonichar said. “We person truly tried to enactment with our DOC colleagues successful ensuring patients are escalated (brought to a hospital) erstwhile this does travel up.”

Cohen noted during the proceeding that for 3 years, Mayor Adams and Mayor de Blasio earlier him suspended metropolis rules that bounds the duration of lock-ins to 2 hours via enforcement orders.

“I don’t spot immoderate ground for it and radical person been driven brainsick by being locked successful for agelong periods of clip and wounded themselves,” Cohen said.

Natalie Fiorenzo, a elder corrections specializer with New York County Defender Services, described her daze aft talking astatine magnitude with Rzewinski. “This was wherever we thought, wherever I thought, our clients would stay comparatively unchangeable and cared for … How incorrect we were,” she said.

Theodore Parisienne for New York Daily News

Justyna Rzewinski, a erstwhile Social Worker who worked astatine City Jails, speaks to the Daily News astir conditions and attraction of inmates with intelligence wellness problems that she observed during her clip determination successful Queens connected Saturday Oct. 5, 2024. (Theodore Parisienne for New York Daily News)

Mayor Adams, who successful July refused to instrumentality parts of Local Law 42 which bans solitary confinement, told reporters astatine City Hall Tuesday helium afloat supports Maginley-Liddie. “She’s not going to tolerate the mistreatment of those … with terrible intelligence wellness issues,” helium said.

More broadly, the politician said helium was acrophobic the program to adjacent Rikers mightiness beryllium simply displacing a occupation without fixing it.

“You can’t person 51% of the inmates astatine Rikers Island having intelligence wellness issues. That’s conscionable wrong,” helium said. “That is simply a nonaccomplishment of our metropolis to spot radical with intelligence wellness issues successful jail.”

Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, a sponsored of Local Law 42, called the study successful The News outlining the signifier “disturbing and alarming.”

“Not lone is the metropolis failing to supply intelligence wellness enactment connected Rikers, these and different alleged DOC practices are actively harming the intelligence wellness of susceptible incarcerated New Yorkers,”  helium said successful a statement. “This violates not lone the Board of Correction minimum standards, but the minimum morals to which we should clasp our city.”

Antoinette Anderson, a vice president with the Correction Officers Benevolent Association, insisted that officers don’t person the authorization to fastener successful detainees without support of CHS.

At the aforesaid clip she expressed frustrations that look to beryllium held by a batch of officers. “When we person an inmate who is assaulting unit what should we bash with utmost situations,” she said.

“Why can’t we get the hospitals for the mentally sick to decently assistance them due to the fact that Rikers is not equipped for them.”