Why Rikers Island Must Be Closed Without Building New Jails
On October 16, all eyes are on the New York City Council as it votes on a proposal to build four new skyscraper jails and up to eight jailing satellites that would burn an $11 billion hole through the city’s wallet. The greatest cost of this plan, however, is that it would undoubtedly ensure that our future generations will inherit our system of mass incarceration.
New York City Expands Bail Alternative Program, Funded Primarily By Manhattan Prosecutor
The complex issue of risk assessment places some people at a disadvantage, despite mitigating factors that could ensure they return to court.
Talk Of Jail Construction Creeping Into Debate Over Closing Rikers Island
Will plans to close the notorious Rikers Island jail complex simply lead to the construction of new, smaller jails throughout New York City?
Reforms For Young Adults On Rikers Island Could Face Further Delays
NYC Department of Correction Commissioner Joseph Ponte made his second request for more time to end punitive segregation for Young Adults on Rikers Island.
VIDEO: Fighting The School To Prison Pipeline With Food And Land Justice
Jalal Sabur & Raymond Figueroa are using fresh food to rebalance the scale and dig up the school to prison pipeline. Plus: Food access in South Bronx.
New York City Considers Strict Limits on Jail Mail And Visitation
After a request by the city’s Department of Corrections (DOC) for greater control over the flow of contraband, the New York City’s Board of Correction (BOC) is considering strict new mail and visitation rules [PDF] for its jails. The request comes after a recent increase in violence due to the proliferation of
New York City Council Adopts Eight Bills For Transparency, Oversight Of Jails
Last week, the New York City Council sent eight bills to Mayor Bill DeBlasio’s desk aimed at bringing greater transparency to the city’s jails. The wave of legislation was introduced this past spring and its passage marks the latest efforts by the city to reign in the brutal culture of violence and impunity that has reigned inside its jails for years.
Lawsuit: Rikers Island Officer Unpunished After Raping Transgender Inmate In Corizon Health Clinic
A transgender inmate was raped by a corrections officer in a medical clinic on Rikers Island and the New York City Department of Correction has declined to punish him for the last three years, according a federal civil rights lawsuit filed this week. The inmate, known as “MT,” claims Corrections Officer L. Galan sexually harassed her “openly and repeatedly” for months before raping her in the clinic, where security cameras could not capture the encounter.
New York City Distancing Itself From Corizon Health Services
New York City left private jail medical contractor Corizon Health Services to defend itself against a federal lawsuit brought by the mother of a deceased inmate named Bradley Ballard. Ballard’s death was one of the motivating cases behind the wave of reforms currently aimed at the city’s jail system.
High-Tech Youth Surveillance, Rikers Island And The Pitfalls Of Jail ‘Reform’
New York City will begin a surveillance pilot program aimed at keeping juvenile defendants accused of committing certain felonies off of Rikers Island. As The New York Times reported on August 14, eligible youth between the ages of sixteen and eighteen will be outfitted with lightweight bracelets tethered electronically to smartphones that are to be carried with them at all times and cannot be turned off.