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Data: Incarcerated New Yorkers Chronically Denied Access to Medical Care

New data provided by the City shows that the New York City Department of Correction (DOC) failed to facilitate 8,402 medical appointments for incarcerated New Yorkers in February of 2022, as reported by the New York Daily News.

This October, The Legal Aid Society, Brooklyn Defender Services, and Milbank LLP filed a class-action lawsuit against the DOC over its continued failure to provide access to medical care in the City jails. A judge ordered the City to comply with the suit’s demands, but the Department has failed to meet that obligation.

“Despite a court order and its obligation under the law, the Department of Correction continues to deprive incarcerated people of their right to access medical care,” reads a statement from Legal Aid and its partners.

In fact, the numbers are getting significantly worse. Missed appointments are up nearly 1,600 from January’s reported numbers.

“The latest data is further proof that DOC remains unwilling to protect the health and safety of the New Yorkers in its custody,” the statement continues. “This failure results in daily suffering, sickness, and pain. We once again call on the courts, prosecutors, and elected officials to use every avenue to effect immediate decarceration.”