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Rikers Island

An illustration with blue and yellow tones shows the shadow of a woman with long hair over a prison door with a narrow window. A man in distress is partially visible through the window.
Life Inside June 27
Why I Blew the Whistle on Extreme Confinement on Rikers Island
Social worker Justyna Rzewinski saw people with mental illness “deadlocked” in their cells for months without sunlight, human contact — or medication.
By Justyna Rzewinski
A man wearing a blue uniform sits on a metal folding chair in a small room.
Closing Argument December 14, 2024
How Inhumane Prison and Jail Conditions Prompt Calls for Federal Takeovers
Some state and local lockups are facing federal intervention due to problems ranging from filthy cells to violent abuse.
By
A Black man in a blue sweater, blue mask and black pants speaks into several mics from different TV news stations. A group of protesters stand in front of the Rikers Island jail complex entrance in the background, holding signs that read: "The Fortune Society: Building People, Not Prisons" and "Humanity and Dignity for Those Detained at Rikers!!!"
Closing Argument August 5, 2023
Federal Judge Eyes a ‘Last Resort’ Fix for New York City’s Jails
Record deaths at Rikers Island may lead to a federal takeover as criticism mounts.
By
An illustration shows a picture on a refrigerator door of two Black people dressed up like Michael Jackson, wearing white shirts and black pants. The two of them are sitting on a bench. Other images and magnets of New York and Michael Jackson surround the picture.
Life Inside May 26, 2023
My Friend Jordan Neely Was Homeless and in Mental Distress. But He Was Not Expendable.
Jordan Neely was choked to death on a New York City subway car. Mentor and fellow Michael Jackson enthusiast Moses Harper recalls who he was in life.
By Moses Harper, as told to
A man in a white prison uniform with the label "Alabama Dept of Corrections" on his back stands near his bunk bed. There are multiple bunk beds lined up in the foreground.
Closing Argument February 18, 2023
How ‘Cruel and Not Unusual’ Conditions Persist in Many Lockups
Insight from a discussion with journalists, formerly incarcerated people and experts.
By
A white bus drives in front of a sign that says "Department of Correction: Rikers Island."
News November 28, 2022
A Rikers Officer Had Sex With a Detainee. It Took 7 Years to Fire Him.
The officer also asked the woman to cover up that another Rikers guard sexually assaulted her.
By Reuven Blau and
Three men in blue uniforms sleep on the floor, as one sits on a chair nearby.
News November 4, 2022
Why So Many Jails Are in a ‘State of Complete Meltdown’
Overcrowding, violence and abuse proliferate at jails across the country, as staffing problems make long-simmering problems worse.
By
Life Inside October 28, 2022
I Spent Over 40 Years Working in Corrections. I Wasn’t Ready for Rikers.
Rikers Island jail complex “reflects our nation’s racist and destructive fixation on imprisonment,” writes former New York City jails commissioner Vincent Schiraldi. “It’s Exhibit A for why we need to end mass incarceration.”
By Vincent Schiraldi
As part of the settlement of Nuñez v. City of New York, a 2011 class-action lawsuit filed by Rikers Island detainees, federal monitors periodically report on use of force across the jail complex. This image from the Eleventh Report shows at least 12 officers in a recreational area responding to two detainees who refused to be handcuffed.
Life Inside October 5, 2021
Dispatch From Deadly Rikers Island: “It Looks Like a Slave Ship in There.”
Rikers Island has been notorious for violence and neglect for decades. But detainees, corrections officers and officials tell us the New York City jail complex has plunged into a new state of emergency.
By
Life Inside August 12, 2021
Stopping Violence Over Prison Phone Time? There’s an App for That.
While Corey Devon Arthur was quarantining, people in the unit got tablets equipped with telephone apps. “If we all had the option to use a phone app, the value of violence would plunge,” he writes.
By Corey Devon Arthur
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