Don't Drag Out Probe Of Transgender Inmate's Death, Lawmakers Say

NEW YORK — Several lawmakers are urging New York City officials not to drag their feet on an investigation into the death of a transgender woman on Rikers Island.

In a Wednesday letter, the City Council's Progressive Caucus and Women's Caucus called it "unacceptable" that it could take up to three months to determine how Layleen Polanco died in her cell on June 7.

The 18 Democratic lawmakers demanded that the city conduct a full probe of Polanco's death in a "timely manner" and called for an end to solitary confinement, which the 27-year-old was in at the time of her death.

"The City should start an immediate investigation to determine the cause of death of Layleen Polanco and identify and implement steps in which such incidents could be prevented in the future," reads the letter to Mayor Bill de Blasio, Department of Correction Commissioner Cynthia Brann and Jacqueline Sherman, a member of the Board of Correction, which oversees the city's jail system.

The letter was just the latest call for swift justice for Polanco, whose death has sparked mourning and outrage among officials and LGBTQ activists.

Polanco was arrested and charged with assault in April because she allegedly bit a taxi driver after refusing to pay a fare. She was kept in jail because of on a $500 bail stemming from drug possession and prostitution charges from 2017.

The city's Office of Chief Medical Examiner is investigating the cause of Polanco's death and the Bronx District Attorney's Office is probing the circumstances surrounding it.

The medical examiner's office declined to comment on the Council members' letter. The DA's office said its public integrity bureau is investigating the case but declined to comment further.

The day of Polanco's death was her ninth in solitary confinement at the Rose M. Singer Center, Rikers Island's women's jail, THE CITY has reported. The Board of Correction is now considering new rules that would restrict the use of solitary, such as limiting terms in isolation to 15 straight days and requiring detainees to spend at least four hours a day outside their cells, the website reported Friday.

The Council members urged the city to end the use of solitary confinement on Rikers and pressed de Blasio to push for reforms that would limit it across the state.

"Solitary confinement is torture, plain and simple," the letter says.

The Department of Correction only uses solitary confinement, also known as punitive segregation, as a "last resort" and has eliminated it for the youngest detainees, according to Peter Thorne, the department's deputy commissioner for public information. Solitary sentences are limited to 30 days for most violations, but assaulting an officer can come with a maximum term of 60 days, the DOC said.

"New York City is at the forefront of punitive segregation reform," Thorne said in a statement. "This administration has fundamentally transformed and drastically reduced its use including eliminating it entirely for anyone 21 and under, those with serious mental illness, and more."

Polanco was honored with a funeral on June 15, according to THE CITY. A GoFundMe page raised more than $13,000 to help cover her family's expenses.