Because a homeless man had no address, he is jailed and dies.
On March 4, Hector Rodriguez was sent to Rikers Island in New York because he failed to log his address with state’s sex offense registry — even though he had been homeless for years.
Rodriguez died June 21 on his jail bed, while struggling to breathe during a severe asthma attack, according to Correction Department records and a family lawyer. He was 60 years old and had contracted COVID-19 in April, the lawyer said.
For criminal justice reform advocates and even one city group that represents victims, Rodriguez’s death behind bars underscored what they called outmoded and unjust restrictions people convicted of sex crimes must comply with after being released from prison.