Press Room

"Two years ago, the world saw George Floyd murdered. The protests that followed in the summer of 2020 were a moment of collective grief and trauma, and at the same time a moment of inspiration as people rose up to demand change.

"There has been movement, and critically, we are still fighting for more and for better. In some areas we saw reform, and we must work to hold onto that minimum progress – but in many ways, we missed the moment to fundamentally redefine public safety. 

"Two years later, as we continue to see people across New York having their safety and sense of safety threatened, it is not time to allow retreat or regression, but to build momentum in that fight for transformational change. 

"Two years later, the volume of voices declaring that Black Lives Matter has become more muted as people in power either retreat from the phrase or the actions that such a declaration mandates. Communities like George Floyd’s are facing persistent, preventable violence from many directions. We must continue to raise our voices and issues, and march forward to confront the challenges of real change, enacting policies that protect Black lives and Black communities through health care, education, housing, opportunity, and safety, and through addressing Black trauma. 

"Black Lives Matter, and Black Lives are still being taken. Two years later, we need to keep fighting for justice, for George Floyd and so many more who have lost their lives since."

"On my way to services for a child shot and killed in the Bronx, during a vigil for ten people shot and killed in Buffalo, a few days before a man was shot and killed on the train, news of another mass shooting breaks, along with the hearts of families in Texas and across the country.

"Fourteen children and a teacher in Texas are not coming home from school today.

"Outside a salon. In a supermarket. A subway. A school. Gun violence pervades every corner of our communities because guns are perversely fetishized and endlessly accessible in our country. There will be explanations uncovered and excuses put forward for this inexcusable violence, but all are enabled by the weapons in the hands of a shooter, and the people and systems that put them there.

"Conservative politicians will try to conceal this crisis, and the Supreme Court is poised to make it easier to carry concealed weapons of war, to further facilitate mass murder of our kids and neighbors. And we cannot allow them to deny their role in either the mass shootings that make national news or the daily reality of gun violence that makes communities ache.

"As we pray for those who have had so many years of their young lives stolen, as we comfort the families and community who survive, forever scarred, we must confront the reality that without bold actions which put the lives of victims over an ideology of violence, we will be here again and again. Shamed, shaken, but never shocked."

"Rikers Island is in a dangerous state of ongoing crisis that demands immediate action to protect people on both sides of the bars. The Action Plan finally put forth by the city provides a framework, a base, that could potentially address some of the aspects contributing to that crisis. As the federal monitor repeatedly noted, though, that potential is predicated on hypothetical – IF the city truly follows through with diligent, swift action and delivers on the promises of the plan, conditions could be improved and lives saved.

"We’ve seen promises made and abandoned related to Rikers before, and my office will be watching and working with this administration to ensure that the plan is put into practice, that the people working now to provide essential, restorative services for incarcerated New Yorkers are at the center of solutions, and that all of these efforts are carried out while working toward the legal and moral mandate of closing Rikers Island for good."

"As a student, I struggled with Tourette Syndrome, which is very visible, and ADHD, which like dyslexia is not – both undiagnosed until high school. Once I could put a name to it, and develop a learning plan, it immensely improved my educational outlook.

"Early screening of all students for risk of dyslexia, and providing targeted resources and focus for those who need it, will help our schools meet the individual educational needs of each student, and each student reach their full potential. This effort will improve educational opportunity, and in a way that will promote educational equity.

"Many adults also struggle with undiagnosed dyslexia, disproportionately in our criminal legal system, and I urge the City Council to pass my legislation instituting screenings in our jails. By screening and servicing affected people, we can provide better support for incarcerated New Yorkers and help prevent them from re-entering the criminal legal system in the future. This would help correct an educational services gap that should have been addressed long ago, and one that today’s announcement is a major step toward closing in the future. 

"Dyslexia is under-discussed, and likely under-diagnosed, in our city, but with today’s announcement we can help to make sure New Yorkers struggling with it have access to the services they need to succeed."

Just a few days after Dashawn Carter became the fourth person to lose their life on Rikers Island this year, Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams repeated his calls for urgent action to reform Rikers, address inhumane conditions, and save lives. At a hearing of the Board of Correction Tuesday, Public Advocate Williams again emphasized that years of mismanagement have created danger for people on both sides of the bars. Simply adding more officers, he explained, was not the answer, but rather systemic changes are needed.

"For far too long, the old policies and terrible management have been detrimental to incarcerated people and corrections officers and staff who work there," said Public Advocate Williams. "For fiscal year 2023, the administration plans to hire an additional 598 correctional officers. We should be concerned about hiring more correctional officers when there are other officers in the city not coming to the work, and already in the budget. The message from this administration should be preventive, not punitive. We have other staff we can hire as well, including social workers, other types of interrupters and people who are credible messengers as well. Hiring more officers, while other officers are out sick, sends the wrong message not only to this City, but to the people who are currently coming to work."

The Public Advocate also spoke about impending legislation he is set to introduce in the City Council to prohibit solitary confinement, and said of the upcoming deadline for the Department of Correction to present a plan for Rikers reform, "We cannot wait to see what happens with DOC’s plans. Punitive segregation, going back and forth between punitive and solitary, we know it still exists on Rikers Island. We know the names of people who died while in or after being in solitary: Layleen Polanco, Kalief Browder, Brandon Rodriguez. These are too many deaths for an abusive, inhumane, and immoral system."

As the potential for a federal receivership is imminent, the Public Advocate closed saying, "Federal receivership should not mean the City should stop working together to figure out what is needed...We should take federal receivership as a serious action on the table. It should push us to take this as a final, critical moment for change. It should not be viewed as continuing to do the same thing as before. We know that failed, and we can't continue to do the same thing, if nothing at all."

The Public Advocate's full testimony at the hearing is below.

TESTIMONY OF PUBLIC ADVOCATE JUMAANE D. WILLIAMS

TO THE NEW YORK CITY BOARD OF CORRECTION HEARING -

MAY 10, 2022

My name is Jumaane D. Williams, and I am Public Advocate for the City of New York. I thank the Board of Correction for allowing me to speak today.

As we know, these are critical times for those on Rikers Island. The violence and dysfunction is so high there that federal receivership is now an option on the table. With a three week notice, the Department of Correction must present an "action plan" to a federal court by May 17th. Otherwise, we may see a federal takeover of Rikers. It is disappointing that years and years of mismanagement has led to this moment. We had an opportunity as a City, for months if not years or decades, to do the right thing and offer a plan for those incarcerated and staff on the island. It is clear that we failed. 

The conditions at Rikers Island are truly inhumane. People lack life-saving medication, miss crucial medical appointments, live in unsanitary conditions, and are given spoiled food. The ongoing issue of correctional officers reporting out sick is causing an increase of stress and work for staff at Rikers. With the combination of the already dehumanizing environment and the COVID-19 pandemic, these exacerbated the living conditions and work conditions and increased the violence over the past couple of years. 

Inevitably, this meant that the number of deaths have also increased. Last year, 16 people died at Rikers Island which is known to be the highest number of deaths since 2016. As for this year, there have already been four deaths that have occurred. I refer to the latest death of 25-year-old Dashawn Carter, who committed suicide in his cell, is tragic. At the same time, the number of self-harm cases has risen. During the pandemic, these numbers surged. Towards the end of March 2020, there were 52 self-harm incidents per 1,000 people in jails and this number rose to 88 in 2021. We know the names and the stories of those who we have lost. The City has failed them and their families. We cannot continue to allow this to happen and witness numerous families grieving over their loved ones that took their life while jailed and awaiting trial. 

As I mentioned in previous testimonies, the city has failed those who also work on Rikers Island. Many correctional officers are obligated to work double, triple, or even quadruple shifts due to staff shortage. According to a report published by the 13th Nunez Monitor, they found that about 19.31 percent of the total number of uniform staff were on sick leave as of January 26, 2022. Some officers have mentioned being sexually harassed, assaulted, and abused during the job. In March, a correctional officer was slashed across the face while breaking up a fight near losing their eye. These horrible working conditions also impact those who are under the staff’s supervision. This could mean that medical appointments for incarcerated people are disregarded or missed, continuing the perpetual cycle of their health and medical concerns being ignored and neglected. For far too long, the old policies and terrible management has been detrimental to incarcerated people and corrections officers and staff who work there. For fiscal year 2023, the administration plans to hire an additional 598 correctional officers. We should be concerned about hiring more correctional officers when there are other officers in the city not coming to the work, and already in the budget. The message from this administration should be preventive, not punitive. We have other staff we can hire as well, including social workers, other types of interrupters and people who are credible messengers as well. . Hiring more officers, while other officers are out sick, sends the wrong message not only to this City, but to the people who are currently coming to work.  

These new correctional officers would be hired for the City’s Risk Management Accountability System. I was encouraged by the comments made at a March 23rd City Council hearing that RMAS would focus on a low census and high staff ratio. Staff may include health and mental health professionals. At the same time, I am concerned about the use of RMAS. As of last week, the number of people on Rikers Island is at least 5,400. Alarmingly, the number of people detained in pretrial detention is increasing. On May 11th, 2021, it was 4,148. As of May 6th, 2022, it was 4,609. As mentioned, DOC continues to have correctional officers who are out sick for an indefinite period of time. What is the procedure when that ratio cannot be achieved? That remains unclear. I actually think the public would be surprised to know that there is an increased number of folk on Rikers Island right now.

We cannot wait to see what happens with DOC’s plans. Punitive segregation, going back and forth between punitive and solitary, we know it still exists on Rikers Island. We know the names of people who died while in or after being in solitary: Layleen Polanco, Kalief Browder, Brandon Rodriguez. These are too many deaths for an abusive, inhumane, and immoral system. As elected officials, we must remain committed to seeing transformative changes to Rikers Island.

There is still an opportunity for us to lead. We must be able to separate for safety. We need to separate for safety. At the same time, isolation is a danger and we need to focus on reducing threats without using separation. DOC's Clinical Alternative to Punitive Segregation, used for incarcerated individuals with serious mental illness, is an example of using mental health staff that aims to reduce any potential harm being able to separate without isolate and stepping back down to population.

My office will soon present legislation in the City Council on solitary confinement. The bill would end solitary/punitive segregation as we know it. It also centers the lives and the experiences of those who are incarcerated. Solitary is disproportionately used against people of more color. It is also worse for people with pre-existing mental illness as well as increasing the risk of self-harm and suicide. The rate of suicide was five times higher for those in solitary in New York State from 2015 to 2019.

I am excited to see this legislation introduced in the City Council and anticipate its passage based on the urgency of the moment. Federal receivership should not mean the City should stop working together to figure out what is needed. We are elected officials. We are the board. We are expected to implement changes that are needed for everyone in New York City including those individuals who are at Rikers. I hope, when this bill is presented in the City Council, that the Board of Correction provides its support as the foundation of it is based on BOC rules.

We should take federal receivership as a serious action on the table. It should push us to take this as a final, critical moment for change. It should not be viewed as continuing to do the same thing as before. We know that failed, and we can't continue to do the same thing, if nothing at all. I thank the board for allowing me to speak. I always want to make sure I am speaking for those who are housed there and those who are working there. Many folks working those triples, quadruples. We want to make sure we’re bringing folks back in. It’s hard to explain the increase in the budget, while people are on sick leave.

I know this Commissioner and this Board didn’t necessarily create this mess, but we’re here. We had some months to address it, and we’re hoping in the next few weeks to present a real plan because receivership is not something most of us want. If it’s on the table, we have to do something. My office is willing to do what we can to be productive and get us to a place where everybody is safe and feel safe. I understand some of the concerns of the correctional officers who don’t feel safe in that environment. Thank you again.

"It is undeniable that housing costs are increasing for everyone, including owners, as the affordability crisis deepens. The solution cannot be to demand increased rent from tenants who are struggling to remain in their homes as it is. Rising, unpayable rents will do nothing to alleviate the costs incurred over the pandemic – rather, they will exacerbate the problem and escalate the mounting eviction crisis. The suggested increases have been unreasonable, untenable, and unacceptable – raising rents without raising wages would tax poor and working New Yorkers. The city and state need to support those who are struggling, such as through utility relief, not pass on the burden to tenants who have been left without a moratorium or good cause eviction protections.

"As the Rent Guidelines Board prepares to cast a preliminary vote this evening, I urge them to consider not only the costs, but the context of a pandemic that persists, even if some would prefer to pretend it doesn’t. In their vote which will affect the lives and livelihoods of so many New Yorkers, the board should continue the approach and trend of the past two years, as the economic and human impact of the pandemic continues."