Deaths at Rikers, NYC jails often follow health care staff errors that are rarely disciplined

In the aftermath of Brandon Rodriguez’s 2021 death by suicide at Rikers Island, investigators found a number of serious missteps by jail medical staff, but none resulted in discipline, according to records and interviews. That’s not unusual. Just two Correctional Health Services staffers have been disciplined in the 44 deaths reported in city jails since January 2021, agency officials confirmed to the Daily News. Detainee advocates argue that they’ve seen cases mishandled by Correctional Health Service workers who they feel should have been sanctioned. In Rodriguez’s case, Correctional Health ...