More than 100 inmates who were released from New York City's notorious Rikers Island jail over COVID-19 concerns at the outset of the lockdown in late March have landed back behind bars for allegedly committing new crimes. Latest data released by the Mayor's Office of Criminal Justice indicate that between March 16-May 6, over 2,650 inmates have been released from jail, a quarter of whom faced charges stemming from violent felony offenses. Six weeks earlier, Iamunno had been released from jail after pleading guilty to grand larceny and a drug-related offense stemming from two separate incidents. During a press briefing in late April, New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio said he was troubled by recidivism among inmates who have been released from jail over COVID-19 fears. According to the New York City Board of Corrections, as of May 8, Rikers Island had 370 confirmed cases of the coronavirus among inmates and 187 among staffers.

Source: Daily Mail May 13, 2020 18:11 UTC