New York City Correction Commissioner Vincent Schiraldi claimed that data on violence and use of force in City jails was “bending in the right direction” at a press briefing earlier this week, but advocates are warning the humanitarian crisis on Rikers Island is ongoing, as reported by the New York Daily News.

Mary Lynne Werlwas, Director of The Legal Aid Society’s Prisoners’ Rights Project testified in federal court this week on the dire situation incarcerated New Yorkers still face. “There is a persistent and quite horrific pattern of violence persisting in our jails,” she said.

According to data reported by the federal monitor responsible for overseeing City jails, there were 51 stabbings and slashing in the month of September and 728 reported uses of force. The rate of use of force by officers was more than three times the average rate in 2016.

Fourteen people have died in custody already this year. A mass wave of staff absenteeism by Department of Correction staff has compounded long-standing problems to create an extraordinarily dangerous environment for people in City jails. As of this week, only 77% of officers have received at least their first dose of the vaccine. Officers who are unvaccinated will be forced to take unpaid leave, further compounding the problem.