De Souza, a spokeswoman for the Department of Corrections, said Ms Greene-Turner was mistaken in that belief. De Souza said: “The department’s treatment of detainees is never affected by whether or not a family accepts compassionate release.
In June, Mr. Turner was transferred to a nursing facility in the Bronx.
Ms. Greene-Turner, 75, said: “I want them to be held accountable.” They took him to the hospital. “
Unlike in previous administrations, the Department of Corrections under Mr. Molina is particularly concerned with whether detainees are sick and at risk of death, and therefore are eligible to receive treatment. released, according to people familiar with the matter. Officials even check in periodically with medical staff for updates, the people said.
In the days leading up to his release, Mr Pondexter, who has been detained on Rikers Island since April 2020 on charges of rape and related offenses, complained to his sister and daughter that he was being tortured. chest pain and difficulty breathing.
Mr. Pondexter, who was once a resident in one of Rikers Island’s most staffed intensive care psychiatric wards, collapsed around 5 a.m. on September 18, shortly after leaving his cell, according to prison records and two people with knowledge of the incident. A still image taken from a video shows Mr Pondexter, dressed in beige institutional clothing, sprawled on the gray tile floor at the foot of the stairs.
At the hospital, tests showed no urgent problems, one of them said, but the next day Mr Pondexter went into cardiac arrest and although his heart rate had recovered he still did not regain consciousness.
