The Disturbing Story of Rikers Island
A controversial island with nine jails
Rikers Island is a famous jail in New York City. It is located in the East River near the Bronx and is about 412 acres. More than 9,000 officers work there, and it can hold over 10,000 people. Initially, the island was used for training soldiers during the Civil War. Then, in 1884, New York City bought the island for $180,000.
The Commission of Charities and Corrections wanted to run a workhouse there. But the land was technically under Long Island City in Queens County, which wasn’t part of New York City yet. So, they needed to sell it again. However, after a lot of political arguing, they started a new chapter.
Opening of the Jail
By 1925, New York City opened their big jail. They needed it because their current prison on Welfare Island (now Roosevelt Island) was too old and full. So, in 1932, they opened the jail. The first building was called HDM, or House of Detention for Men.
As New York City’s population and criminal activity grew, the demand for more incarceration space increased. To accommodate this, the city expanded the island using landfill, a process accelerated by a 1922 court ruling prohibiting oceanic garbage dumping. This ruling redirected the city’s waste to Rikers Island, significantly increasing its size.
Life At Rikers Island
The trash dumped on Rikers Island led to constant fires in its trash heaps, burning through all seasons, even during blizzards. 1934, a warden described the scene as a forest of lit-up Christmas trees. But the garbage also brought rats, a problem quickly getting out of control. The rats invaded sewage systems, kitchens, showers, and cells.
The island tried various methods to control them, like poisonous gas, bait, ferocious dogs, and pigs, but nothing worked. Robert Moses organized a hunting party to kill the rats, converted some trash into a landfill, and moved the rest to the Fresh Kills Landfill on Staten Island. The jail has different areas for men, women, and teenagers. It was designed to keep people waiting for their trial and those serving short sentences.
Controversies and Criticism
Rikers Island has faced a lot of problems and criticism over the years. The inmates are there for murder, rape, domestic violence, burglary and robbery. It is filled with gangs who are constantly trying to kill each other. Almost all of them have weapons — knives or sharp objects.
A correction officer at Rikers Island said that during his round, he would see weird things, for example, people masturbating randomly. They would set fires in their cell and throw urine or feces at the officers. Sometimes, they would even assault the officers.
Everyone involved is suffering there. The staff quits daily, and usage of drugs is very rampant — K2 and marijuana are the most common. The people in jail at Rikers Island have a clever way to make their drink.
They save the fruit they get, like apples or oranges. Then, they let the fruit sit for a while to ferment, which means it turns into alcohol. They mix this fermented fruit with hot water and sugar and get drunk. This would make them even more aggressive and start fighting each other. Suicide attempts at Rikers are also pretty common.
Efforts for Closure and Reform
Over the years, the number of people in Rikers has changed a lot. Sometimes, it gets crowded. This crowding can make life hard for both the people staying there and the staff. Many talks have been about closing Rikers Island and changing how it works. People want to shut it down because of all the problems and bad stories that come from there.
The idea is to replace Rikers with smaller jails that are closer to where the courts are in the city. These new jails would be better and more modern. The goal is to make things fairer for people who have to go to jail and fix some of Rikers’ big problems. Making these changes is not easy. It takes a lot of planning and agreement from many people in the city.
