Behind the Violence at Rikers, Decades of Mismanagement and Dysfunction
The New York Times, December 31, 2021: Behind the Violence at Rikers, Decades of Mismanagement and Dysfunction
“The powerful correction officers’ union has said that hiring more guards would solve the problems. But records and interviews show that there is no staffing shortage in the jail system. In fact, on days this year when guard posts in volatile Rikers housing units went unfilled, hundreds of other correction officers were stationed elsewhere in less dangerous positions, including as secretaries, laundry room supervisors and even bakers.
“The groundwork for the violence and disorder on Rikers was laid over the years by successive mayoral administrations, which allowed power to shift to lower-level wardens and the guards’ union and then to incarcerated gang members themselves. As a result, guards have been posted throughout the system in wasteful and capricious ways, generous benefits like sick leave have been abused and detainees have had the run of entire housing areas.”
Additional reading:
New York Daily News, January 11, 2022: Rikers Island inmates go on hunger strike over lack of basic services
The Nation, January 11, 2022: “You Come Out With Nothing”: What It Means to Bring Back the Box at Rikers
Daily Beast, December 24, 2021: Judge Frees Rikers Inmate Who Said Prisoners Were Running the Jail and Running a ‘Fight Club’
