A Big Apple inmate who attempted to kill himself and later ended up on life support died on Monday, his attorneys said — bringing the total number of detainees to die in Department of Correction custody this year to 14.
Anthony Scott, 58, who had been kept behind bars on assault charges at Manhattan Criminal Court on Thursday after being accused of punching a nurse, used a piece of clothing to hang himself inside a holding cell, sources said previously.
Scott, who was in the custody of the Department of Correction at the time, was found unresponsive in his cell at the court’s Central Booking detention center, the DOC said previously.
It’s unclear why officers didn’t notice or intervene, sources said at the time.
The detainee was brought to Beekman Hospital and placed on life support, and the following day was granted “compassionate release” from custody, but the injuries that led to his death were sustained while he was in the DOC’s care.
Protesters block traffic along Broadway, expressing their anger over the conditions at Rikers Island jail, Oct. 1, 2021. Matthew McDermottTina Luongo, the attorney-in-charge of the Criminal Defense Practice at The Legal Aid Society, which represented Scott, said he’d long suffered from mental health issues.
“Throughout his life, Mr. Scott was continually criminalized for his struggle with mental illness, and our criminal legal system has never had the comprehensive tools necessary to serve New Yorkers with acute needs like Mr. Scott,” Luongo said.
“We are devastated to learn of [Mr. Scott’s] passing, and extend the deepest condolences to his family, friends and community during this tragically difficult time.”
Fourteen inmates died in Department of Correction custody this year. Erik Pendzich/Shutterstock
Tina Luongo said Anthony Scott long suffered from mental health issues. William FarringtonLuongo said the DOC has “consistently failed in their legal and moral obligations to keep our clients safe” and called on government leaders to “prioritize both policy and funding to support robust programming to prevent further suffering and loss of life.”
This year has been the deadliest on record for DOC detainees since 2016 as the agency reels from a crisis brought on by a surging inmate population, the coronavirus pandemic and staffing shortages across the department.
Scott is the sixth inmate to have killed themselves in DOC custody this year, a higher number of suicides than in the past five years combined, according to data released by a federal monitor.
