A recent Department of Investigation (DOI) report has concluded that allegations of “deadlocking” — the practice of confining individuals in jail cells for prolonged periods without meaningful movement or services — at Rikers Island mental health units are unsubstantiated. However, a former clinical supervisor at the facility, who spoke publicly about conditions last year, disputes the report’s findings and insists the issue remains critical.

Justyna Rzewinski, a licensed clinical social worker who served as a forensic social work supervisor on Rikers Island from December 2023 to September 2024, testified to witnessing severe psychological deterioration, hopelessness, and emotional distress among detainees with serious mental illness confined to their cells for extended durations. She emphasized that while the DOI report acknowledged some prolonged cell confinement, it focused on whether official documentation proved that people were intentionally kept locked without movement. Rzewinski argues that many damaging practices within correctional settings do not appear clearly in policies or records, limiting the scope of the investigation.

The report noted that cell doors were periodically opened, but Rzewinski stressed that such brief unlockings do not amount to meaningful freedom of movement. She cited cases where individuals, fearful or traumatized, were unlikely to leave their cells even when doors were briefly unlocked. She recalled encounters with detainees in deplorable conditions—cells infested with flies, flooding, and unsanitary bedding—illustrating the profound human suffering and psychiatric decline taking place behind jail walls.

The DOI acknowledged limitations in its inquiry, including missing video footage and a lack of cooperation from current staff members, many of whom may fear retaliation for speaking openly. The investigation primarily relied on staff interviews and records but did not include testimony from justice-impacted individuals or grassroots advocacy groups with firsthand experience monitoring Rikers conditions. Victor M. Herrera, a former Rikers detainee now involved in advocacy with the Freedom Agenda and Close Rikers campaign, noted that allegations such as prolonged lock-ins, food deprivation, and denial of hygiene have been consistently reported but often dismissed as unsubstantiated.

Rzewinski cautioned that a finding of “unsubstantiated” should not be interpreted as evidence that harmful practices do not exist. She highlighted ongoing challenges at Rikers, including violence, neglect, isolation, staffing shortages, and inadequate mental health care for detainees, particularly those with serious mental illness.

To address these issues, Rzewinski urged support for legislation such as the Treatment Court Expansion Act, which seeks to divert people with mental illness and substance use disorders away from incarceration and into treatment programs, reducing unnecessary jail time. She also advocated for the End Health Professionals’ Complicity in the Torture of Detained or Incarcerated Individuals Act, aimed at protecting health professionals who report abusive or harmful conditions within detention facilities.

Rzewinski underscored that the experiences of those incarcerated at Rikers should not be dismissed due to institutional opacity. “An unsubstantiated report does not erase what I witnessed, nor does it erase the experiences of those living through these conditions every day,” she said.