The Legal Aid Society is mourning the loss of Albert Drye, a client who recently passed away in New York City Department of Correction (DOC) custody. Mr. Drye is the eighth New Yorker to die in DOC custody in 2022 and the second in as many days.

“We are both heartbroken and outraged to learn of Albert Drye’s passing,” reads a statement from Legal Aid. “So far, DOC has refused to provide Mr. Drye’s lawyers with the most basic information concerning his passing, and this is an all-to-common scenario that we – along with client’s family members, friends and community – routinely face in these tragic situations.”

“We demand immediate answers from the City and the jail medical staff about the circumstances leading to Mr. Drye’s death,” the statement continues. “We again call on elected officials, prosecutors, the courts and other stakeholders to facilitate the decarceration of local jails before another New Yorker has to spend their final moments confined to a cage in a facility grappling with a full-fledged humanitarian crisis.”