One man was paralyzed from the neck down. Another landed in a coma. Neither injury was documented properly in the New York City jail system awash in disorder. Source: New York Times
Posts published in “Rikers Island Prison Complex”
Medical Care at Rikers Is Delayed for Thousands, Records Show
By Gotham Rex on February 1, 2022
A court filing on Tuesday shed new light on the effect of the city jail system’s staffing crisis on health care, with missed appointments leading to severe health consequences. Source: New York Times
Jail Unions Gain a Powerful Supporter: Mayor Eric Adams
By Gotham Rex on January 14, 2022
Eric Adams has reversed some measures enacted to regain control over the crisis at Rikers Island, in an early victory for the correction officers’ unions. Source: New York Times
A Look Inside Rikers: ‘Fight Night’ and Gang Rule, Captured on Video
By Gotham Rex on January 12, 2022
Videos obtained by The New York Times reveal scenes of violence as the Department of Correction struggles to restore order in the jail system. Source: New York Times
Hundreds at Rikers Protest Conditions, Citing Covid and the Cold
By Gotham Rex on January 11, 2022
Detainees in one jail at the Rikers Island complex are refusing to eat Correction Department meals. Source: New York Times
Behind the Violence at Rikers, Decades of Mismanagement and Dysfunction
By Gotham Rex on December 31, 2021
For years, New York City officials have presided over shortcuts and blunders that have led to chaos in one of America’s most expensive jail complexes. Source: New York Times
He Went to Jail on Minor Charges. He Left in a Coma.
By Gotham Rex on December 28, 2021
Jayshawn Boyd, 22, was attacked inside a New Jersey jail in a beating caught on video. Then another detainee was killed, leading to multiple inquiries. Source: New York Times
Covid Cases Spike in New York City Jails
By Gotham Rex on December 22, 2021
“The risks to the human beings in our custody are at a crisis level,” the correction commissioner wrote in a letter to lawyers and judges. Source: New York Times
Sniffling, Sneezing and Panicking
By Gotham Rex on December 20, 2021
Covid, or just a cold? It’s a quandary for anxious New Yorkers as cold and flu season closes in. Source: New York Times
Change Comes to Rikers Island, but Is It Too Late?
By Gotham Rex on December 17, 2021
The city’s reform-minded corrections commissioner, who introduced therapeutic programs for guards and detainees, is leaving. Source: New York Times
Louis Molina, Las Vegas Public Safety Chief, Expected to Lead N.Y.C. Jail System
By Gotham Rex on December 16, 2021
Mr. Molina, a former N.Y.P.D. officer and Correction Department official, will be tasked with restoring order at the troubled Rikers Island jail complex. Source: New York Times
On Rikers Island, Two Deaths in Four Days Push Jails Toll to 16
By Gotham Rex on December 15, 2021
A Brooklyn man late Tuesday became the latest detainee to die as the Department of Correction grapples with a crisis at the city’s main jail complex. Source: New York Times
Another Death at Rikers Continues ‘Very Difficult Year’ at N.Y.C. Jails
By Gotham Rex on December 10, 2021
A Brooklyn man, who went into cardiac arrest on Friday, became the 15th person to die this year within New York City’s correction system. Source: New York Times
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
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