Photo courtesy of NYC Department of Correction via Fickr
NYC Department of Correction (DOC) said a 33-year-old man, Edwin Quispe, who was detained on Rikers Island has died.
Officials said that on the morning of July 22, a DOC officer observed a man in custody on the floor of a bathroom at the Eric M. Taylor Center. They said a medical emergency was declared and the officer provided aid to the man and medical staff responded but could not revive him. They said he was pronounced deceased at 8:28 a.m.
Officials said the department has notified the federal monitor, the Board of Correction, the State Attorney General’s Office, NYC Department of Investigation, the NYS Commission of Correction, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner and the various district attorneys.
In a statement following the incident NYC Correction Commissioner Lynelle Maginley-Liddie said, “The entire Department is deeply saddened by a death in our custody. Our thoughts are with his loved ones. Every loss of life that occurs in our care is investigated and we will thoroughly examine what occurred in this instance.”
In response to the latest death, Darren Mack, co-director of Freedom Agenda, an advocacy group for the incarcerated, said, “42 deaths in DOC custody since Mayor [Eric] Adams took office underscores his profound failure to implement the plan mandated by law to uphold minimum standards, keep people alive, and close Rikers by 2027.”
According to DOC records, Quispe had been incarcerated on May 21, 2025, having been arrested on May 19, and had been due back in court on Aug. 15. He had been charged in a Queens courthouse on a felony charge relating to sexual conduct with a child.
As reported, over 215 advocacy groups recently demanded the reversal of the HALT law suspension pertaining to the segregation of incarcerated individuals from State prisons’ general populations.
Separately, as also reported, New York City Mayor Eric Adams, NYC Economic Development Corporation (EDC) officials, and others recently announced the removal of the Vernon C. Bain Correctional Center barge from the Hunts Point waterfront, which is due to be converted into a new marine terminal. Advocates for the closure of the barge had compared it to a slave ship.
Below is a list of the active Rikers Island Facilities according to DOC.
Eric M. Taylor Center (EMTC)
Built in 1964 and expanded in 1973, EMTC previously housed males in custody sentenced to terms of one year or less. Most of its housing was dormitory-style. The facility, previously designated the Correctional Institution for Men, was renamed on July 14, 2000, in honor of retired Chief of Department Eric M. Taylor. EMTC closed in March 2020, and almost immediately reopened in March 2020 for new intakes showing symptoms and people in custody who had tested positive for COVID-19.
George R. Vierno Center (GRVC)
Opened in 1991 and was named after a former Chief of Department and Acting Commissioner. GRVC was expanded in 1993. The facility houses detained and sentenced male adults.
North Infirmary Command (NIC)
Consists of two separate buildings one of them the original Rikers Island Hospital built in 1932. It houses people in custody with acute medical conditions and require infirmary care, or have a disability that requires housing that is compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. NIC also houses some general population detainees.
Otis Bantum Correctional Center (OBCC)
Opened in June 1985, it was completed in less than 15 months using modern design and construction methods. OBCC has dormitory and cell housing. The jail was named for its second Warden. OBCC houses detained male adults.
Robert N. Davoren Center (RNDC)
Opened in 1972, the jail was formally dedicated the Robert N. Davoren Center in May 2006 in honor of a former Chief of Department. RNDC primarily houses detained and sentenced males and young adults.
Rose M. Singer Center (RMSC)
Opened in June 1988, RMSC is a 800-bed facility for female detainees and sentenced women in custody. Subsequent additional modular housing was added. In 1985, the Department’s first nursery was born, featuring a 25-bed baby nursery. RMSC was named after an original member of the New York City Board of Correction.
RESH (RMSC Enhanced Supervised Housing)
RMSC also holds a separate command known as RESH (RMSC Enhanced Supervised Housing). RESH currently houses male detainees in restrictive housing. Enhanced supervision units are reserved for individuals who have been found guilty of disciplinary charges while in custody.
West Facility – Communicable Disease Unit (WF)
Opened in the fall of 1991, WF was constructed of ‘Sprungs’ – rigid aluminum-framed structures covered by a heavy-duty plastic fabric. The facility includes single-cell units, some of which make up the Department’s Communicable Disease Unit (CDU). Other cells house detainees separate and apart from the CDU.
The department maintains secure facilities at the following City hospitals:
Elmhurst Hospital Prison Ward (EHPW), Queens – for female detainees.
Bellevue Hospital Prison Ward (BHPW)
Other Rikers Island Facilities which do not house people in custody include:
George Motchan Detention Center (GMDC)
Originally opened in 1971 as the Correctional Institution for Women, the jail became a male detention center with the 1988 opening of the Rose M. Singer Center for women and was renamed in memory of a 17-year veteran Correction Officer fatally shot in the line of duty. GMDC closed in 2018 and is no longer used to house people in custody. GMDC is currently used as a Training Academy annex and its former visit house as a wellness center for DOC staff.
Benjamin Ward Visit Center
The Benjamin Ward Visit Center serves the various jail facilities on Riker’s Island. All visitors must coordinate their visits through the Benjamin Ward Visit Center. The Visit Center is located at 18-31 Hazen St. East Elmhurst, NY 11370.
Closed DOC facilities include:
James A. Thomas Center (JATC)
Formerly the House of Detention for Men, this 1,200-bed, all-cell jail was renamed in honor of the Department’s first African-American warden. Built in the early 1930s as Rikers Island’s first permanent jail, the landmark structure is no longer in use.
Brooklyn Detention Complex (BKDC)
Built on Atlantic Avenue in 1957, the facility housed male detainees most of whom were undergoing the intake process or awaiting trial in Kings County (Brooklyn) and Richmond County (Staten Island) courts. BKDC closed in December 2020.
Manhattan Detention Complex (MDC)
This lower Manhattan facility consists of two buildings designated the North and South Towers, connected by a bridge. The North Tower was opened in 1990. The South Tower, formerly the Manhattan House of Detention, or the “Tombs,” was opened in 1983, after a complete remodeling. The complex houses detainee and sentenced males, most of them undergoing the intake process or facing trial in New York County (Manhattan).
Queens Detention Complex (QDC)
The Queens Detention Complex (QDC) is not a working jail and does not house people in custody. QDC includes court facilities, where people in custody await court appearances and for the intake process. Portions are also used as a space for television/movie production filming.
Vernon C. Bain Center (VCBC)
A five-story jail barge built in New Orleans to DOC specifications, the facility houses detained male adults. Opened in the Fall of 1992, it is named in memory of a former Warden who died in a car accident. It serves as the intake facility for The Bronx.
Anna M. Kross Center (AMKC)
Completed in 1978, and named for DOC’s second female commissioner, AMKC houses detained and sentenced male adults in a facility spread over 40 acres. AMKC is the largest facility on Rikers Island.
Norwood News has asked the City’s Medical Examiner for the cause of death and a spokesperson said on July 24, “The cause and manner of death are pending further study following the examination yesterday.”
As reported, two additional people died on and in transit to Rikers Island in June. Gothamist reported that the latest death marks the ninth person to die in DOC custody in 2025 and the jail population has increased to over 7,500 people.
Mack concluded, “We don’t want any more boilerplate condolences from this administration. We want action by utilizing every tool at their disposal to reduce the population, close empty facilities to consolidate operations, and expedite the legal mandate to shutdown Rikers forever.”
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