Focus
Rikers Island
Freed After Years in Solitary, Woman Faces Jailhouse Charges
NEW YORK— Candie Hailey spent more than three years in a New York City jail, most of it in solitary confinement, before a jury decided she was innocent last year and set her free. Now, prosecutors say she still hasn’t been punished enough.The 32-year...
Rikers Island More Violent? No, Just More Pepper Spraying, Says Correction Officer Union Head
A record number of use-of-force incidents at Rikers Island in 2014 may not mean inmates experienced more violence.
Problems With Rikers Island Prison Tough to Fix
Rikers Island is a 10-jail facility where an average of 11,000 inmates a night—men, women and youths—are held on charges ranging from trespassing to murder.
US Sues New York City Over Rikers Island Abuses
Dissatisfied with New York City’s progress toward reforming conditions at the Rikers Island jail complex, federal authorities announced on Thursday that they are suing the city and its corrections department for violating the constitutional rights of young inmates.
Mayor Visits Rikers Island, Says Reforms Have Improved Conditions for Young Inmates
The city’s Rikers Island jail complex, rife with abuses that were documented in recent media exposes and a federal investigation, has finally ended solitary confinement for its 16- and 17-year-old inmates, mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Wednesday.
Mayor Plans $130M to Revamp NYC Jails for Mentally Ill
The New York City mayor wants to spend $130 million over four years to overhaul how the nation’s most populous city deals with mentally ill and drug-addicted suspects, diverting many to treatment instead of the city’s troubled Rikers Island jail complex.
New York City Mayor: We Need to Address Mentally Ill Inmates in Jail
At a Thursday press briefing on the Department of Correction’s planned reforms of jail conditions at Rikers Island, Mayor Bill de Blasio and Corrections Commissioner Joseph Ponte expressed that their biggest challenge is how to provide for mentally ill inmates.
Care Questioned in 15 New York Jail Deaths
These are the deaths in New York City’s Rikers Island jail that don’t make headlines—prisoners with diseases, disorders, and addictions who succumb to heart attacks, infections, and other causes officially filed away as “medical.”
Abuses at Rikers Island: Officials and Advocates Call for End to Solitary Confinement and Officer Violence - Updated
For Johnny Perez, the horrors of being placed in solitary confinement still remain fresh in his memory. More than 15 years ago, when Perez was a young teen, he was placed in solitary confinement for 60 days at the Otis Bantum Correctional Center on Rikers Island.
Family of Inmate Who Died in Hot Cell to Sue for $25 Million
The mother of the man who died in an overheated jail cell at Rikers Island has sent initial paperwork to the city declaring her intent to file a $25 million lawsuit.
