City jail staff repeatedly blocked medical care for a severely ill woman at Rikers Island before she died weeks later from organ failure, a recent oversight report revealed.
Charizma Jones, 23, was being treated for a possible case of scarlet fever when she was moved to an infirmary unit on May 4, 2024 after her symptoms worsened. But when medical staff tried to check her vital signs, correction officers stopped them six times, citing an “unspecified security reason,” according to the Board of Corrections report.
Jones was isolated for two days before finally being rushed to the hospital with a rash, high fever, and signs of acute liver damage. She was later pronounced dead on July 14, 2024 due to “multiorgan failure,” according to the preliminary report.
Her death has sparked outrage from advocates and city officials, with both the state Attorney General’s Office and the city’s Department of Investigation now probing the incident. Charizma’s family attorney, MK Kaishian, called the officers’ actions “illegal and morally repugnant,” accusing them of contributing to a death that was both “preventable and agonizing.”
The case sheds light on chronic issues at Rikers Island that have already been raised in a federal court case, where a judge recently warned the city about the unsafe conditions in its jails. The city’s jail system is one of the largest and most notorious in the U.S., and the judge ruled that it has placed incarcerated people in “unconstitutional danger.”
Charizma, a Bronx native who had been incarcerated for assault, had a history of mental health and substance abuse challenges. After an alleged altercation with a correction officer in April 2024, she was put on restricted status, which also made her ineligible for early release.
A spokesperson for the Department of Corrections said that the health and safety of detainees are the department’s “foremost concern.” However, the report notes that the department hasn’t provided records related to the refusal of medical access, and there’s been no indication of any disciplinary action taken against staff involved.
Charizma’s family attorney has pointed out that while individual officers should be held accountable, the focus should also be on the systemic issues that contributed to her death.
