A judge in the Bronx ruled that people incarcerated in the state’s prisons and jails had been arbitrarily excluded from the coronavirus vaccine rollout. Source: New York Times
Posts published in “Prisons and Prisoners”
Vulnerable Inmates Left in Prison as Covid Rages
By Gotham Rex on February 27, 2021
At a federal compound in Connecticut, inmates in precarious health “are like sitting ducks,” one lawyer said. Source: New York Times
2 Supervisors and Guard Charged in Attacks at Notorious Women’s Prison
By Gotham Rex on February 4, 2021
The assaults left at least six inmates with injuries. One guard at the New Jersey prison is accused of punching a woman 28 times. Source: New York Times
31 Guards Suspended at a Women’s Prison Plagued by Sexual Violence
By Gotham Rex on January 28, 2021
Inmates reported being beaten while handcuffed at Edna Mahan Correctional Facility in New Jersey, the state’s only prison for women. Source: New York Times
Judge Rejects Ghislaine Maxwell’s $28.5 Million Bail Proposal
By Gotham Rex on December 28, 2020
The British socialite, charged with assisting Jeffrey Epstein in his abuse of girls, had called jail conditions “intolerable.” Prosecutors said she has her own shower, TV and computers. Source: New York Times
Only 9 Trials in 9 Months: Virus Wreaks Havoc on N.Y.C. Courts
By Gotham Rex on December 2, 2020
The coronavirus has upended criminal trials in the city, infiltrating courtrooms in ways that threaten both health and justice. Source: New York Times
Small Gatherings Spread the Virus, but Are They Causing the Surge?
By Gotham Rex on November 23, 2020
Yes, the coronavirus can be transmitted over cocktails and dinners. But these get-togethers may not account for the huge rise in cases. Source: New York Times
N.Y.P.D. Will No Longer Force Women to Remove Hijabs for Mug Shots
By Gotham Rex on November 9, 2020
The Police Department agreed to change its policy and allow religious people to be photographed in head coverings so long as their faces were left unobstructed. Source: New York Times
Tears, Hugs and Fresh Clothes: New Jersey Prisoners Rejoice at Release
By Gotham Rex on November 5, 2020
More than 2,000 inmates were freed to reduce the spread of Covid in the state’s prison system. Source: New York Times
As N.Y.C. Jails Become More Violent, Solitary Confinement Persists
By Gotham Rex on October 12, 2020
Even as Mayor Bill de Blasio has emptied out the city’s jails, the number of people who are placed in punitive segregation each year has remained about the same. Source: New York Times
Making Art When ‘Lockdown’ Means Prison
By Gotham Rex on September 24, 2020
The harshness of life behind bars is designed to crush inmates’ individuality. But a stirring exhibition at MoMA PS1 shows the prison-industrial complex can’t stifle the artistic impulse. Source: New York Times
N.Y.C. to Pay $5.9 Million in Death of Layleen Polanco at Rikers
By Gotham Rex on August 31, 2020
Layleen Polanco had a fatal epileptic seizure while in isolation, an investigation found, spurring calls to end solitary confinement and close the jail complex. Source: New York Times
Sister Elaine Roulet, 89, Dies; Aided Imprisoned Mothers and Their Children
By Gotham Rex on August 22, 2020
Changes Sister Elaine helped bring about at the Bedford Hills prison for women in New York State allowed inmates and their offspring to bond. Source: New York Times
Prison Inmate Hanged Himself With Coronavirus Mask, Officials Say
By Gotham Rex on August 14, 2020
Daniel Ocasio was found inside his cell at the Corrigan-Radgowski Correctional Center in Uncasville, Conn., prison officials said. Source: New York Times
Violence at Rikers at an ‘All-Time High’ Despite City’s Promise to Curb It
By Gotham Rex on August 6, 2020
A federal monitor found that the number of times guards at the jail complex used force against inmates rose 54 percent, even as its population shrank. Source: New York Times