The Legal Aid Society is mourning the loss of Herman Diaz, a client who passed while in Department of Correction custody on Rikers Island. He is the third New Yorker to die in custody this year alone.

“We are both heartbroken and outraged to learn of Herman Diaz’s passing,” reads a statement from Legal Aid. “Mr. Diaz’s family and loved ones deserve immediate answers from the City and the jail medical staff about the circumstances leading to his death Yet in our experience working with families during this epidemic of deaths on Rikers Island, the City’s treatment of the families and loved ones of people who die in custody is brutal and callous, withholding even the most basic information from grieving families.”

Legal is demanding that the City immediately appoint a public advocate for the Diaz family, conduct a comprehensive investigation, and inform the family and counsel of their findings at each step of the process. This includes giving the family immediate access to all videotapes of Mr. Diaz in the time preceding his death and access to the individuals who were with him when he died.