Lawyers for Brendan Hunt, who posted violent threats around the time of the attack on the Capitol, said he turned over a new leaf — and befriended R. Kelly — in jail. Source: New York Times
Posts published in “Prisons and Prisoners”
On Rikers Island, A Doctor for Older Detainees
By Gotham Rex on November 12, 2021
Insights from Dr. Rachael Bedard, a jail-based geriatrician. Source: New York Times
Why New York Is Closing 6 Prisons
By Gotham Rex on November 9, 2021
The number of people incarcerated in New York is less than half of what it was in 1999, and the facilities being closed are well below capacity. Source: New York Times
As Deaths Rise at Rikers Island, Oversight Board Fails to Raise Alarm
By Gotham Rex on November 9, 2021
Do your job “before someone dies,” an advocate pleaded at a meeting of the city Board of Correction, which has the power to monitor Rikers Island. Source: New York Times
The Jail Oversight Board That Failed to Sound the Alarm
By Gotham Rex on November 9, 2021
The Board of Correction, which has the power to monitor Rikers Island and other city jails, took no action as deaths behind bars increased. Source: New York Times
Countdown to a Vaccine Deadline
By Gotham Rex on October 29, 2021
Unvaccinated city workers have until the end of the workday to get a first shot. Source: New York Times
Supertall Buildings, Super-Complicated Concerns
By Gotham Rex on October 26, 2021
Tall new buildings are testing the limits of building codes from an earlier era. Source: New York Times
5 Takeaways From the First N.Y.C. Mayoral Debate
By Gotham Rex on October 20, 2021
Eric Adams and Curtis Sliwa traded attacks over past lies, a Brooklyn apartment and “buffoonery” on the debate stage. Source: New York Times
De Blasio Visits Rikers: 'The Whole Thing Upsets Me'
By Gotham Rex on September 27, 2021
As Mayor Bill de Blasio visited the jail for the first time in four years, federal officials signaled a lack of faith in the city’s ability to manage the troubled complex. Source: New York Times
‘I Just Want to Be Normal’: A Mentally Ill Man’s Death at Rikers
By Gotham Rex on September 27, 2021
Esias Johnson had been in and out of Rikers Island during his two years in New York. Now two correction officers have been suspended in connection with his death. Source: New York Times
Why Is Rikers Island Still Open?
By Gotham Rex on September 26, 2021
A spate of deaths and a mounting culture of violence at New York City’s largest jail renew calls for an emergency solution. Source: New York Times
Members of Congress Urge Biden to Intervene at Rikers as de Blasio Plans Visit
By Gotham Rex on September 24, 2021
In a letter to President Biden on Friday, several Democrats said New York City “cannot be trusted” to manage the jail complex, which has descended into chaos. Source: New York Times
Members of Congress Urge Biden to Intervene at Rikers, as de Blasio Plans Visit
By Gotham Rex on September 24, 2021
In a letter to the president on Friday, several Democrats said New York City “cannot be trusted” to manage the jail, which has descended into chaos. Source: New York Times
After Rikers, Will It Be Enough to Build Better Jails?
By Gotham Rex on September 24, 2021
As New York looks to replace Rikers Island, some say a focus on more humane jail design is largely beside the point. Source: New York Times
Crisis at Rikers and N.Y.C Jails Grows With 12th Death in Custody
By Gotham Rex on September 22, 2021
The man who died was being held at the Vernon C. Bain Center, a floating jail barge docked just north of Rikers Island. Source: New York Times