Rikers Island Detainee Dies After Medical Episode at Jails, Officials Say
A 38-year-old man in custody at Rikers Island died overnight, prompting officials to launch an investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death. Edwin Ramos was found unwell by a guard in a bathroom at the Otis Bantum Correctional Center around 12:05 a.m. Friday, according to the city Department of Correction.
The non-profit organization that represented Ramos had been negotiating a plea deal with authorities, but those talks were cut short when Ramos' condition took a turn for the worse. He was taken to a Rikers clinic before being transported to a nearby hospital, where he ultimately succumbed to his injuries.
In a statement, the Legal Aid Society expressed outrage that they only learned of Ramos' death through media reports, and demanded that the full details of his passing be disclosed to his family, loved ones, and counsel. The organization called this a "disgraceful" and "unacceptable" handling of the situation.
The Department of Correction has confirmed that an investigation into Ramos' death is underway, and that he will be reported to state and local officials as required by law. The organization's top official, Commissioner Lynelle Maginley-Liddie, expressed her condolences to Ramos' family, saying that "the care of everyone who resides in our facilities is our highest priority."
This incident marks the 13th detainee death at or shortly after being released from Rikers Island this year, a number more than double the total for all of last year. The high toll on life within the city's jails has sparked ongoing calls for reform and increased oversight.
A 38-year-old man in custody at Rikers Island died overnight, prompting officials to launch an investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death. Edwin Ramos was found unwell by a guard in a bathroom at the Otis Bantum Correctional Center around 12:05 a.m. Friday, according to the city Department of Correction.
The non-profit organization that represented Ramos had been negotiating a plea deal with authorities, but those talks were cut short when Ramos' condition took a turn for the worse. He was taken to a Rikers clinic before being transported to a nearby hospital, where he ultimately succumbed to his injuries.
In a statement, the Legal Aid Society expressed outrage that they only learned of Ramos' death through media reports, and demanded that the full details of his passing be disclosed to his family, loved ones, and counsel. The organization called this a "disgraceful" and "unacceptable" handling of the situation.
The Department of Correction has confirmed that an investigation into Ramos' death is underway, and that he will be reported to state and local officials as required by law. The organization's top official, Commissioner Lynelle Maginley-Liddie, expressed her condolences to Ramos' family, saying that "the care of everyone who resides in our facilities is our highest priority."
This incident marks the 13th detainee death at or shortly after being released from Rikers Island this year, a number more than double the total for all of last year. The high toll on life within the city's jails has sparked ongoing calls for reform and increased oversight.
. I mean, 13 people dying at Rikers Island this year is already crazy enough, but for them to be dying just after being released or something is just heartbreaking 
. I feel so bad for the guy's family and loved ones who had to find out about his death through social media like that 
. It's like, can't they do better than this? The city needs to step up their game when it comes to taking care of these people behind bars 
. I've got a lot of respect for the Legal Aid Society for speaking out against this though 
. We need more people to be holding our leaders accountable for stuff like this 
.
just thinking about ramos' passing is heartbreaking... but let's try to focus on the fact that his family is getting support from the legal aid society 
and they're advocating for transparency, which is super important! it's also really sad that this is happening so many times at rikers island 
like, we should all be paying attention to these issues and using our voices to make a difference 
️. let's keep pushing for reform and more accountability, and hopefully one day we can say that places like rikers are a thing of the past 
it's so sad... 13 deaths this year already? that's a lot! i think the dept of correction needs to take a closer look at what's going on in those facilities, you know? like, how can you prevent something like this from happening again? and also, why did they not inform the familes of edwin ramos straight away? that's just not right 
. the legal aid society is totally right, tho - we need more transparency and accountability in there... it's time for some serious change 
and now they're trying to spin this by saying "we're investigating" but what does that even mean? 
we need real change, not just a bunch of empty promises. the city needs to take responsibility for its own jails and make some serious reforms ASAP. 
it's not like they're trying hard enough or anything, the fact that he only found out through media reports is literally heartbreaking his family deserves way more than some half-baked apology and a token investigation 
I mean what even is the point of an investigation if they're just gonna sweep everything under the rug? 
I'm so done with people being treated like dirt in these jails it's time for real change 
️. It's time for real change, not just empty statements & condolences 
.
just heard about Edwin Ramos passing away at Rikers Island... so sad 
and we need to work on making it more humane 
hopefully the investigation will uncover some truths 
and they're sayin it's a disgraceful handling of the situation, but I think that's an understatement 
... when do they actually finish? how much longer is it gonna take before we see some real change? 
. I'm not looking for excuses, I want action! 
he was so young 38 yrs old is still young!! this is getting way too real on rikers island 
edwin deserved more 
The fact that they found him in a bathroom and still didn't get him the help he needed is just heartbreaking. My heart goes out to his family, loved ones, and the people who were trying to advocate for him... it feels like such a waste of life. 
it's so sad to hear about Edwin Ramos' tragic death at Rikers Island. I mean, 13 detainee deaths this year already is way too many 
The city's got to take responsibility for this one and make some real reforms 
It's just heartbreaking to think about the families and loved ones of these people, going through all this emotional pain 
... how can that happen in a country where we're supposed to have laws and regulations in place? 
