A View Inside Rikers from People Who Know it Best

Rights This Way

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2y ago 34:04

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A View Inside Rikers from People Who Know it Best

New York City’s Rikers Island houses one of the most violent, dysfunctional, and hellish jails in the country. Every day, thousands of people – most of whom are legally innocent and the vast majority of whom are Black and Brown – are subjected to incredibly harsh conditions. Some never make it out alive.

We speak with two people who have covered the problems that plague Rikers for years. Graham Rayman is a journalist with the New York Daily News where he mainly focuses on criminal justice and policing. Reuven Blau is a senior reporter at The City and he’s known as the dean of Rikers reporters. They’ve co-written a book called Rikers: An Oral History. The book catalogs the perspectives of those who know the jail best: people who were formerly incarcerated there, guards, health care providers, public officials, and more.

In this episode, the authors dissect why Rikers is such a horrible place, and why nothing seems to change despite years of efforts to improve the conditions inside. And we hear some of the stories featured in the book.

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Resources:

Rikers: An Oral History: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/625018/rikers-by-graham-rayman-and-reuven-blau/

As discussed on the show, bail reform is one of the key ways to keep people out of Rikers. Listen to our two previous episodes on bail:

The Truth About Bail Reform: https://www.nyclu.org/en/publications/ep-3-truth-about-bail-reform

Why Can’t We Stop Backtracking on Bail Reform: https://www.nyclu.org/en/publications/s2-ep1-backtracking-bail-reform

For more on everything we discuss in this episode, visit https://www.nyclu.org/

For transcripts and additional information on the episodes, visit nyclu.org/en/rightsthisway.

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