New York City has agreed to pay over $28 million to settle a lawsuit filed by the family of Nicholas Feliciano, who suffered severe brain damage after attempting suicide in a Rikers Island jail cell as correction officers watched. Mr. Feliciano, who had a history of psychiatric hospitalizations and suicide attempts, was sent to Rikers in 2019 for a parole violation. Guards stood by as he tried to hang himself, and did not intervene even after he became limp, as shown in video footage. The proposed settlement, if approved by a judge, would be among the largest pretrial settlements ever awarded in a civil rights case in New York City.
For the past four years, Mr. Feliciano has required round-the-clock care due to his brain damage, which has left him unable to eat without assistance, with short-term memory loss, and struggling to remember visits with family and friends. The proposed settlement would help his family care for him at home. The Correction Department has made efforts to reduce self-harm among detainees through renovations to housing areas, training officers to prevent suicides, and assigning specialists to mentally ill detainees. However, the New York City Board of Correction reported that many issues leading to Mr. Feliciano’s case have worsened, with at least 18 mentally ill detainees dying over three years, and about one in five Rikers detainees having serious mental illness.
Video footage obtained by The New York Times showed the events leading up to Mr. Feliciano’s suicide attempt, highlighting the inaction of correction staff members as he hung himself. Despite his extensive history of psychiatric issues, Mr. Feliciano was rated as zero risk of suicide when he arrived at Rikers in 2019. The videos showed nine jailers standing by for almost eight minutes as Mr. Feliciano struggled at the end of his makeshift noose. Only after he crumpled to the floor were medical staff called in to provide assistance. Six guards were suspended without pay for 30 days following the incident, and four were charged by the Bronx district attorney in 2022.
Before they encountered Mr. Feliciano, seven of the guards involved had faced disciplinary charges and complaints for various offenses such as lying on records, using excessive force, and failing to supervise detainees. Captain Terry Henry, who did not intervene as Mr. Feliciano attempted suicide, had been disciplined in a similar case in 2015 when he failed to help a man convulsing on the floor who later died. Despite these issues, Captain Henry, who still works in the jails, has had several complaints lodged against him in the years following Mr. Feliciano’s incident. The correction officers’ union has claimed that the charges against the guards are driven by politics rather than facts.
The settlement in Mr. Feliciano’s case is intended to help his family provide care for him at home as he continues to live with the injuries from his suicide attempt. The case has shed light on the inadequate supervision and treatment of mentally ill detainees at Rikers Island, where harsh conditions and inhumane treatment are prevalent. The ongoing issues within the Correction Department highlight the need for reforms to address the mental health needs of detainees and improve oversight to prevent future incidents like Mr. Feliciano’s suicide attempt. The proposed settlement, if approved, will provide some financial relief for Mr. Feliciano’s family, but will not change the fact that he must live with his injuries for the rest of his life.
