Exclusive | Wards Island shrinks on edge, as criminally-insane patients go ‘stir crazy’ after flood, elevator outage
On Wards Island, the Manhattan Psychiatric Center has been functioning like a modern‑day “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.” In the last three months, the staff have been calmly escorting dangerous inmates—including the notorious “Butcher of Tompkins Square Park”—through the courthouse‑like side of the campus to let them get some fresh air after a plumbing disaster knocked out the elevators.
Dr. Catherine Mortiere, a psychologist at the hospital that houses both criminally insane and private patients, says the forensic inmates actually enjoy the change of scenery. “They get to go through the civil hospital,” she notes. Yet the staff are increasingly uneasy, worried that one of the volatile criminals could pose a threat to the others.
Since the flooding shut down the three elevators on the criminal‑patient wing, workers have had to manually carry inmates down on the civilian side. Two of them managed to escape their wards, taking the elevator but not the stairs, according to someone who works there. The staff warn that “if you sit in the elevator and be quiet you could blend right in,” and that among the inmates are people who have made headlines—sex offenders, rapists, arsonists, and, notably, Daniel Rakowitz, the “Butcher of Tompkins Square Park,” who dismembered his girlfriend in 1989 and allegedly fed the remains to the East Village homeless.
The 228 inmates—roughly 100 of whom were ruled criminally insane in court—were moved from the fortress‑like Kirby Forensic Psychiatric Center on Wards Island to the state‑run Manhattan facility in 2020. The facility’s windows, once barred but still operable, are now sealed, depriving patients of fresh air. Mortiere laments, “The patients are confined here with no fresh air, no open windows. They are going stir‑crazy and increasingly more agitated.” She and other workers fear a potential outburst.
An anonymous staffer explained that the building lacks ventilation and the windows cannot be opened because the bars have been removed. The names of the inmates remain confidential, though Rakowitz is among them.
The Office of Mental Health acknowledged the flooding and stressed its commitment to safety. “OMH is fully committed to ensuring the safety of our patients and the staff entrusted to treat them at our psychiatric centers, and while unexpected environmental concerns sometimes arise, we always treat safety and security with utmost importance in responding to these issues,” a spokesperson said.
Stay informed on all the latest news, real-time breaking news updates, and follow all the important headlines in world News on Latest NewsX. Follow us on social media Facebook, Twitter(X), Gettr and subscribe our Youtube Channel.
