NEW YORK — The death of a 29-year-old man in New York City Department of Correction custody has prompted renewed calls for immediate government intervention, with the Katal Center for Equity, Health, and Justice arguing the case underscores persistent failures at Rikers Island and marks the fifth death in DOC custody since Mayor Zohran Mamdani took office in 2026.
Julian Pagan died after he was found unresponsive in a holding cell at a Bronx courthouse following his arraignment Friday, according to a recent Gothamist report. He was found shortly before 6 p.m. and was pronounced dead at Lincoln Hospital at 6:37 p.m.
Pagan’s attorney with the Legal Aid Society, Samantha Brugger, said she had been in court with her client hours before he died.
“He was alert, engaged and showed no signs that he was experiencing a medical emergency,” Brugger said, according to Gothamist.
After learning he would have to return to Rikers, Pagan spoke with his father.
“His father told him to ‘hang in there’ and reminded him that he loved him,” Brugger stated. “The prospect of returning to Rikers deeply distressed Mr. Pagan.”
“Mr. Pagan’s family deserves answers,” Brugger added. “No family should be left to learn that a loved one entered the city’s custody alive only to be told hours later that he had died.”
DOC Commissioner Stanley Richards also responded to the death.
“We are deeply saddened by this tragedy, and we share our condolences with Mr. Pagan’s loved ones,” Richards said, according to Gothamist. “We will investigate the circumstances of this death in coordination with city and state authorities.”
The Katal Center argued Pagan’s death reflects broader systemic problems within the city jail system.
“We’re extremely concerned about the dangerous conditions within the NYC Department of Correction,” said Yonah Zeitz, advocacy director for the Katal Center.
“Conditions at Rikers in particular are so horrific that last year, a federal judge ordered a ‘remediation manager’ to take over parts of jail operations and oversight,” Zeitz said. “This move is among the most dramatic a court can take and indicates the severity of the problem at Rikers. It also underscores the abject failure of city government to address the crisis and save lives.”
Zeitz also criticized state oversight of correctional facilities.
“New York State has an entire agency dedicated to oversight of jails and prisons in the state, to ensure they are ‘safe, stable, and humane,’” Zeitz stated.
“That agency, the State Commission on Correction, has failed miserably to meet its mandate,” he added. “Reforms were passed last year that should compel the agency to meet its mandate, but Governor Hochul continues to drag her feet to implement those reforms.”
Zeitz said the latest death occurred despite recent reform efforts.
“Now, months after Mayor Mamdani has appointed a reform-oriented commissioner, months after the appointment by the federal court of a remediation manager, and months after the reforms to the SCOC were passed, yet another person has died in DOC custody,” he said.
“What are these officials doing? Whatever it is, it’s not enough.”
“Katal members, many of whom have served time at Rikers or had loved ones detained there, are clear: the city government, state government, and the federal court must take immediate, robust action to meet the legal mandate to shut down Rikers, and until it is shut down, to improve conditions and save lives,” Zeitz stated. “Anything less is unacceptable.”
Mayor Mamdani also responded to Pagan’s death.
“Every person in city custody deserves to be treated with dignity and care, and our administration remains committed to ensuring that happens,” Mamdani said, according to Gothamist.
The Katal Center’s #ShutRikers campaign advocates reducing jail populations and correctional spending, closing Rikers Island and investing instead in what the organization describes as “real community safety: housing, health care, including mental health, education, and jobs.”
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Categories: Breaking News Everyday Injustice Tags: Criminal Justice Reform Jail Conditions Julian Pagan Katal Center New York City Department of Correction Rikers Island