Guard Left Post Unattended, Failed to Conduct Tour in Hours Leading Up to Detainee's Death on Rikers Island.
A correction officer at Rikers Island has been suspended for 30 days after failing to properly conduct a tour of the facility hours before a detainee was found dead. The suspension comes as part of a broader pattern of deficient touring practices by guards and their supervisors, according to a watchdog report obtained by Gothamist.
On the night Aramis Furse died on December 7, the officer left his post three times for about 10-20 minutes each, allowing detainees to exchange contraband and move freely between cells. The officer was also unable to properly check the assigned area every half hour, as required, at one point in the evening. Meanwhile, surveillance footage showed another detainee sliding what looked like a white rolled cigarette under Furse's door just after 11 p.m., which he appeared to accept.
Despite reporting Furse unresponsive and requesting medical assistance, the officer did not receive proper care or attention until paramedics arrived at Mount Sinai Queens Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The officer's actions have raised questions about the safety and accountability of correctional staff on Rikers Island.
The federal monitor overseeing Rikers has reported that 28 department staffers were disciplined from January 2022 to June 2025 for not conducting proper tours in cases involving someone's death in custody. This comes as part of a larger effort to address deficiencies in touring practices, which have been linked to serious incidents at the facility.
Furse's family is still seeking answers about his cause and manner of death. His father said that the guard's 30-day suspension was inadequate and did not provide them with closure. Anjulie Furse, his sister, described her brother as optimistic and vibrant, who had plans to start a business after release.
The suspension comes at a time when Rikers Island is facing increased scrutiny and calls for reform. The city has announced plans to improve conditions at the jails, but it remains unclear who will lead the Department of Correction under Mayor Zohran Mamdani's administration.
A correction officer at Rikers Island has been suspended for 30 days after failing to properly conduct a tour of the facility hours before a detainee was found dead. The suspension comes as part of a broader pattern of deficient touring practices by guards and their supervisors, according to a watchdog report obtained by Gothamist.
On the night Aramis Furse died on December 7, the officer left his post three times for about 10-20 minutes each, allowing detainees to exchange contraband and move freely between cells. The officer was also unable to properly check the assigned area every half hour, as required, at one point in the evening. Meanwhile, surveillance footage showed another detainee sliding what looked like a white rolled cigarette under Furse's door just after 11 p.m., which he appeared to accept.
Despite reporting Furse unresponsive and requesting medical assistance, the officer did not receive proper care or attention until paramedics arrived at Mount Sinai Queens Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The officer's actions have raised questions about the safety and accountability of correctional staff on Rikers Island.
The federal monitor overseeing Rikers has reported that 28 department staffers were disciplined from January 2022 to June 2025 for not conducting proper tours in cases involving someone's death in custody. This comes as part of a larger effort to address deficiencies in touring practices, which have been linked to serious incidents at the facility.
Furse's family is still seeking answers about his cause and manner of death. His father said that the guard's 30-day suspension was inadequate and did not provide them with closure. Anjulie Furse, his sister, described her brother as optimistic and vibrant, who had plans to start a business after release.
The suspension comes at a time when Rikers Island is facing increased scrutiny and calls for reform. The city has announced plans to improve conditions at the jails, but it remains unclear who will lead the Department of Correction under Mayor Zohran Mamdani's administration.
what kind of security protocols do these ppl have in place? leavin' a post unattended like that with a detainee gettin' all sorts of contraband and actin up its like somethin outta a horror movie 
not only did the guard fail to do his job, but now hes gettin suspended for 30 days which is already a slap on the wrist imo. what kinda message does that send? if u break the rules in rikers island, u might as well just take matters into ur own hands 
Furse's fam deserves so much better than this and its just gonna keep on happenin till somethin changes 
this 30 day suspension is a drop in the ocean, fam 
rikers island needs real change, not just slap on the wrist for corrupt guards... how many more lives gotta be lost before we take action? 
30 days is not even a month, fam... that's like, what, 3-4 weeks of hard time? my cousin was locked up on rikers once and he said it was like being in a war zone, not some place where people are supposed to be safe 
.
like what was going through their head? should be way more than 30 days suspension for the guard, imo 
and then not even get it together to check on someone who's supposed to be in a safe area... it's just, like, basic human decency at this point. 
the fact that they're suspending this guy for 30 days is, like, better than nothing i guess? 
but what really bothers me is that this isn't even an isolated incident... there have been 28 people disciplined already because of these kinds of mistakes. it's just, like, a pattern of negligence and incompetence at work here 
i was watching some vids on the app earlier and i saw this one guy with a cat avatar and it made me LOL 
anyway back to rikers island... 28 people get disciplined for not doing their job right? that's like, super low 
... 30 days suspended? that's like, barely even a slap on the wrist 
... it's like, we're always talkin' about fixin' this and that, but nobody's really doin' the work 
... I mean, what would Furse want his family to get out of all this? closure? justice? just some sense of peace? 
...
the city's plans to improve conditions at rikers island are good but u need more than just words, u need action 
.
. They should be doing more to hold people accountable and make sure this kind of thing doesn't happen again. 
. It's just common sense that if you're leaving your post unattended, something's gonna go wrong.
When you're busy taking selfies in your uniform 
Guards getting paid to take naps while detainees die 
Celebrating a 30-day suspension for a poor touring job 