Chaplain Dr. Victoria Phillips on Rikers mental health failures and deaths

Peace and blessings, everyone.

Thank you.

I'm Chaplain Dr.

Victoria Phillips, or everyone calls me Dr.

V.

I'm the CEO and founder of Visionary V Ministries and the co-founder of the Jails Action Coalition.

I would like to say, Jack, the Jails Action Coalition, we actually formed in 2011 because of the barbaric conditions on Rikers Island.

Over the last two decades, I've worked in Rikers in the capacities of nursing, cognitive behavioral therapy, monitoring those with serious mental illness, and some forms of chaplaincy.

I say that because all those areas have afforded me different access to the island in different ways.

So I've been able to see far things greater than anyone in a civilian manner probably would.

There are a lot of things I've testified on the record about for the last 15 years regarding Rikers.

And so I just want to highlight a few of them that goes along with the testimonies that was said today.

It was mentioned today that, you know,

There's reasons why people aren't produced for court.

And as I was sitting there listening, it reminded me of a time several years ago when I testified before the city council and raised the concerns of officers who directly told a detainee in front of me,

well, we're going to write you up as a refusal after he was so upset that no one came to get him for court.

And the author.

that was in the unit was just like, well, what you want me to do about it?

We'll write you up as a refusal.

And I want to remind this council that those things very much do occur and that it should not be ignored because the truth comes from someone formerly incarcerated.

So I want to remind this council of that.

I also want to remind this council that

You know, it was just released and said that DOC would actually be starting a pilot for implementing Local Law 42 in the fall or for December.

Can I get a few more?

Thank you.

Yes.

Anything you don't get to, you could put in writing.

In writing.

But there's no dates for that.

And I want to highlight that, and I'll finish by highlighting this.

DOC continues to lie.

And I want you to really understand what that means for someone in custody who does not get care.

68% of those in custody right now with a mental health concern will not get adequate mental health treatment.

And I want to put names on, like Mr.

Carter, because Mr.

Carter is someone who cycled throughout all of our systems that this city is responsible for.

Adequately giving funding for, and they failed him.

And then he ended up in Rikers Island and died within less than 72 hours of being there when he should have never been there.

And over the last two decades, I've seen countless people that should not be there decompensate.

I've seen wardens reach out to me because they do not know what to do with them or where to put them.

And I want to

want to just, you know, I'm the one who reaches out to parents and loved ones and sisters and brothers and help them through their grief and funeral arrangements and everything.

Every time somebody dies, four people died this year, three of them were around mental health concerns.

Last year in 2025, the rates of deaths were three times that what they were in 2024.

And most of those deaths were around medical access or care.

And so I'll just close by saying we cannot just be happy to have a mayor of hope and we're still not bringing true change.

And when we say that money needs to be allocated into the community, the community is what prevents people from coming into the system.

And if the resources are not there, we're still failing ourselves on domestic soil.

And that is not acceptable for me with a mother buried in a military cemetery.

Have a blessed day.

Thank you.