A 24-year-old man hanged himself in his Rikers holding cell this week, after jail staff canceled his scheduled psychological assessment. Jairo Polanco Munoz was being held on $750 bail, and awaiting trial for allegedly stealing a cellphone at a West Village McDonalds. He had attempted suicide the previous spring while incarcerated—an incident that was reportedly in his medical records.
"All someone had to do was review the chart," a medical staffer told the News. Munoz was discovered in his cell around 9:45 p.m. on Monday, two and a half days after his arrest. The Department of Correction confirmed that an investigation into the death is underway.
According to the tabloid, a medical officer did a preliminary health check with Munoz when he was admitted to Rikers last Friday, and suggested that he get a more detailed psychological assessment within 72 hours. Then the jail went into lockdown because of an inmate-involved stabbing, and the appointment was canceled. Munoz remained with the general prison population instead of moving over to suicide watch.
Earlier this month, Attorney General Eric Schneiderman announced the results of a special investigation into the death of Raynette Turner, a 42-year-old Westchester County woman who died in police custody while awaiting trial for a petty larceny arrest (the mother of eight allegedly stole a box of crab legs from a wholesale grocery store). The AG's office did not find the Mount Vernon Police Department criminally culpable, but questioned the department's vigilance in checking medical records.
