Rikers Spirals into Crisis as Detainees Take Control
Lawlessness has become the norm inside New York's Rikers Island jail complex, as detainees in some buildings have seized near total control over entire units, deciding who can enter and leave them, while others wander from building to building unrestricted, freeing others in custody.
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Lawlessness has become the norm inside Rikers Island as detainees in some buildings have seized near total control over entire units, deciding who can enter and leave them, while others wander from building to building unrestricted, freeing others in custody, and correction officers participate in beatings or fail to intervene in hangings and other urgent situations, reports the New York Times. City officials have accused jail officers of abusing generous sick leave policies — hundreds have been out of work — while the officers’ labor union has said guards are not going to work because conditions in the jails are unsafe and inhumane.
The troubles on Rikers Island trace also to physical grounds that have been neglected for decades, leading to doors that do not lock properly, cells that are too deteriorated to contain detainees and aging objects like radiators that can be ripped apart and turned into weapons. Rikers houses more than 4,800 detainees on a given day, a majority of whom are awaiting trial and have not been convicted of a crime. Most do not commit violent acts, and a significant number struggle with mental illness. Twelve detainees, most on Rikers, have died this year, making 2021 the deadliest in New York City’s jail system since 2015. On five occasions in the past 18 months, incarcerated people who should have been confined or closely supervised were instead free to commit violent acts.
