Fifteen people held at the Rikers Island died in 2021. It was an especially deadly year for the jail complex, where the vast majority of people are awaiting trial.

Those who died were all Black or Latino men, ranging in age from 24 to 64. Violence, medical neglect, and overdoses drove the majority of the fatalities.

Reporters Bliss Broyard and Lisa Riordan Seville profiled the fifteen men for New York Magazine. They spoke with families, cellmates, and friends about not just how these people died, but also who they were in life. They spoke with WNYC's Morning Edition host Michael Hill about the story.