#rikers-island

#rikers-island

Rikers doesn't rehabilitate. It destabilizes. According to the Blueprint to Close Rikers report released by the Independent Rikers Commission earlier this year, 84 percent of people in Rikers are held pre-trial, waiting for their court date, presumed innocent under the law. This number includes over 500 people who have been held in Rikers for over two years. And yet, whether detained pre-trial or serving a sentence, people leave Rikers worse off than when they entered. That alone makes our city less safe.

The Sept. 3 death follows the case of 44-year-old Jimmy Avila, who died last week after an apparent medical emergency at the West Facility on Rikers Island. Another person incarcerated at Rikers died in custody on Aug. 23. On Aug. 29, a 46-year-old man being held at Brooklyn Criminal Court was discovered unresponsive and later pronounced dead. A pedicab driver also died that day while in custody at the Midtown South Precinct.

The life of every single person in our care is valued, and Friday was profoundly tragic for the department as two individuals lost their lives.

The judge ordered Meir back to Rikers after an alert indicated he had moved beyond his designated confinement area, though the violation was not deemed serious.

C-76, known today as the Eric M. Taylor Center, has served as the primary facility for men serving city time in New York City for nearly six decades.

"Over 250 people, including local officials, gathered at a rally inside the United Senior Center to protest the impending 70% rent hike, highlighting the center's crucial role in the community."

Every elected official should ensure corrections officers have necessary tools to do their jobs. Zeldin vows to support union members and repeal HALT Act if elected.

What we're seeing here, in my opinion, is not everybody moving in the same direction to actually close Rikers and lessen the population.

"It’s part of my solitude. I like to sit down at the table and doodle and create something new," Croskey said, emphasizing the therapeutic nature of his art.