Rikers Island: The Bad, The Inhumane, & Why Is It So Hard to Close a Jail?

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In this episode, we go inside Rikers Island: the bad, the inhumane, and why it's so hard to close a jail.

The notorious Rikers Island, a 10-jail complex situated on an island in the East River of New York City, has become a national symbol—and the Rikers Island crisis has become a symptom of our current approach to crime. The jail has over 6,000 inmates There are more than 6,000 Rikers Island inmates— the majority of whom are awaiting trial because they can’t afford bail — living in unconstitutionally inhumane conditions, a federal court once ruled. In October 2019, the New York City Council passed, and then Mayor Bill de Blasio signed into law, a plan to permanently close Rikers Island and replace the jails with four borough facilities by August 2027. The aim is to put an end to inhumane conditions including inmate violence, lack of safety of prison staffing and employees, and inmate abuse. But the proposed closure has hit roadblocks — from the left, from the right, from the prison guards union and from concerned residents who live near where new jails would be built. Although many support the Rikers Island jail closure, there is little agreement as to how and when — or what should replace it. Why is it so difficult to make changes to our challenged carceral jail system?

Joining Laura to discuss the local and national implications of this story are Journalist Nick Pinto, co-founder of Hell Gate, a worker-owned news outlet covering New York City, and New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, who helped pass the law to close the jail. Elected Public Advocate last fall, he is now the prime sponsor of legislation that would ban solitary confinement in city jails.

“. . . The education that's necessary to bring the voting public along with this sort of change is difficult. It's especially difficult in the face of a concerted fear mongering campaign.” - Nick Pinto

“This is the first time I've seen a population of folks in the city and the state who are ready to receive a conversation that's holistic around public safety. And we're squandering it.” - Public Advocate Jumaane Williams

Guests:
Nick Pinto: NYC Journalist & Co-Founder, Hell Gate
Jumaane D. Williams: New York City Public Advocate

00:00 Intro
00:45 Why is it so hard to close a jail?
01:25 The plan to permanently close Rikers
02:08 Today's guests
02:44 What is Rikers Island like?
04:41 Why isn't Rikers shut down yet?
07:13 Inhumanity of Rikers inmate deaths
08:37 Ending solitary confinement
09:33 The impact to the city budget
10:13 Who's responsible for closing Rikers?
12:26 Covid impacts on Rikers population
14:13 The crisis on a national level
14:56 The societal message
17:00 New York City's mental health investments
19:25 How to actually close Rikers Island
20:11 Rikers Island in the media
21:53 The future of this story
23:26 Laura's commentary

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📺 RELATED EPISODES:
Mariame Kaba: Rooting Out Our Culture of Harm: https://youtu.be/CxPjAFLxj4M
These Films Keep People Out of Prison: https://youtu.be/wsNMM3buEIc
New Justice: A World Beyond Prisons: https://youtu.be/4ZKwG7zplqc

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- “We Do This 'Til We Free Us: Abolitionist Organizing and Transforming Justice” by Mariame Kaba: https://bookshop.org/a/22992/9781642595253
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ACCESSIBILITY
This episode is closed captioned.

#rikersisland #prisonreform #newyorkcity #newsupdates

Видео Rikers Island: The Bad, The Inhumane, & Why Is It So Hard to Close a Jail? канала Laura Flanders & Friends