2 Rikers Island Detainees Die in a Week
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Two detainees have died at Rikers Island within the span of a week, marking the first deaths reported since New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani assumed office while facing pressure to shut down the troubled jail complex by next year.
According to the city’s Department of Correction, 39-year-old Barry Cozart was discovered in medical distress Wednesday inside the George R. Vierno Center. Staff attempted CPR, but he could not be revived. Several days later, 49-year-old John Price, who had been held at the Eric M. Taylor Center, was transported to Elmhurst Hospital where he died on Sunday. Both men were being held while awaiting trial on unrelated criminal charges. The city medical examiner has not yet determined their causes of death.
The incidents have renewed criticism of conditions at Rikers Island. Since 2015, at least 100 people have died in the jail system, according to Elizabeth Glazer, who previously served as a criminal justice adviser to Mayor Bill de Blasio. The complex currently houses roughly 7,000 detainees and has been under federal oversight following a class-action settlement aimed at addressing longstanding safety and management issues.
City law passed in 2019 requires Rikers Island to close by August 2027 and be replaced by a network of smaller borough-based jails. However, construction delays on the replacement facilities have raised doubts about whether the closure can happen on time. Oversight of the jail system has already been transferred from City Hall to a court-appointed receiver.
In a post on X, Mayor Mamdani said his administration will explore every possible path to shutting down the Rikers complex. Advocates for closing the facility argue the recent deaths highlight the urgency of that effort. Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso described the jail as a “hellscape.”
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