Rikers Island Prison: Examining Injustice in the US Penal System

This essay delves into the complexities of Rikers Island prison, portraying it as a stark representation of the imperfections within the United States' penitentiary system. The paper traces the prison's history, from its origins to its current state, highlighting its notoriety for violence, mistreatment of inmates, and instances of institutional racism. It examines the impact of Rikers Island on individuals and society, emphasizing the loss of trust in the criminal justice system, the effects of inhumane conditions, and the role of gang members. The essay also points out the reluctance of media, politicians, and human rights organizations to address the awful conditions at Rikers Island due to institutional racism. The essay concludes by recommending that policy-makers find ways of addressing institutional racism to combat the underlying causes of the problems related to Rikers Island prison.

Running head: RIKERS ISLAND US
Rikers Island US
Student’s Name
Institution
Date

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Before delving on Rikers Island prison, it is important to state that prison is a place where
people are imprisoned and, as a rule, are deprived of many human rights. Prisons are usually part
of the criminal justice system. Imprisonment is a legal punishment that may be imposed by the
state to criminals for committing a crime. Prison is also often referred to as an institution where
suspected and accused of crimes are detained pending trial. In most cases, some scholars refer to
a prison as any institution for the execution of criminal sentences or for pre-trial detention - a
correctional colony, pre-trial detention center, temporary detention center, etc. This paper will
demonstrate that Rikers Island prison personifies the imperfection of the penitentiary
system of the United States.
Rikers Island until 1884 belonged to the Dutch settler Abraham Riken, and his
descendants. Then it was sold to the state for $ 180,000. As soon as the state took possession of
this island, Rikers Island was turned into prison. Farms were equipped on the island to feed the
prisoners, and in the middle of the last century, prisoners from another prison island, Blackwells,
were transferred there, since its casemates had become very dilapidated by this time (Guardian
Staff 2019).
Rikers Prison is one of the most dishonorable in America (James and Jean 2013). A
hotbed of violence and aggression, it came to the attention of the media in 2007, when an 18-
year-old prisoner was beaten to insensibility by other teenage prisoners, while the guards looked
at it. She is also known for her cruel treatment of mentally ill prisoners, who often commit
suicide. The prison island contains 80% of the nearly 15,000 New York State prisoners and
defendants. There are nine prisons for men and one for women. The daily population of the small
island, including prisoners, visitors and prison staff, making a total of around 7,000 people in
2019 from initially 20 thousand people (Medina, 2019). All the inhabitants of the island are

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temporary. Two-thirds of the local prisoners have not yet been convicted, and therefore, by law,
are innocent. One-third, those who have already received a sentence, are waiting to be moved to
correctional institution or they are serving their term right here. The history of this prison island
began in the distant 30s. Which, of course, already reminds us of our prison history, but here we
must make a reservation: there was little in common then. In the 30s, almost no new prisons
were built in America, only out of great need.
A non-profit organization that specializes in justice news, Mother Jones, reports that "...
the New York Island prison complex is an example that comes up when it comes to ignominy
public shame. It is characterized by violence against prisoners , staff brutality, violence and
abuse of adolescents and the mentally ill. One of the highest national rates in solitary
confinement (Armus, 2019). Rikers, with 10 separate prisons, has been targeted by dozens of
lawsuits and numerous However, the East River Island remains a gloomy and dangerous place
for more than 12,000 men, women and children, mostly pre-trial defendants who cannot deposit,
the second large group of offenders are those whose cases are connected "non-violent crimes and
which, due to their short time, are unnecessarily taken to the northern part of the state. For
example, writes Mother Jones, in 2008, 18-year-old robber Christopher Robinson, who was
imprisoned for violating a probationary period for minors, was beaten to death in his cell. An
investigation revealed that the killers, two other prisoners, were members of a secret group that
Rikers Island Correctional Services used to extort and beat other prisoners "in order to maintain
order." Two guards pleaded guilty to assault and requisitions (Haag, 2019). They were associated
with members of the group and led extortion. Evidence of their direct involvement in Robinson's
death was not provided.

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Reports of ill-treatment of prisoners at Rikers Prison have appeared over the years.
Overseers beat prisoners, violated human rights, and were convicted of sexual crimes. Over the
years, the situation only worsened - the administration turned a blind eye to violations, and
inhuman conditions were considered the norm. Former prisoners say that living conditions in
Rikers also leave much to be desired.
Impact on Individuals and society
Rikers prison personifies the imperfection of the penitentiary system of the United States
and the complete indifference of New York officials to the rights of prisoners. The bad news
from the walls of Rikers Island, which contains 7 thousand people, comes daily, but the media
rarely publish materials because of political reasons. Rikers prison makes many African
Americans and minority groups loss trust in the criminal justice system because their issues are
rarely treated seriously by the parties involved. According to unofficial data, about 150
complaints from Rikers Island prisoners and their relatives are received daily by human rights
organizations. Fearing the wrath of the guards, the convicts try to report on the lawlessness in the
prison through SMS messages, emails, phone calls, secretly transferred to the will letters.
Similarly, Human rights activists, however, are in no hurry to help Rikers Island martyrs.
Organizations like Amnesty International are inflating the visibility of their work through large
reports, but 99.9% of individual complaints remain unanswered. The only thing AI really can do
is put Rikers Island on the traditional worst-of-the-worst list (Davies, 2019). Even if the facts of
terrible prison crimes get into the press, they do not cause much public uproar. This is exactly
what happened with 25-year-old Bishma Ayers, convicted of robbery. He had an epileptic
seizure right in the prison yard. The guard considered that the convict was simulating and
decided to teach him a lesson in the way that most often appears in complaints coming from the

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walls of the Rikers Island “correctional” institution. The overseer chained Ayers' legs and arms
to a prison bed, and then raped him with a club. When the humiliated prisoner began to complain
to the New York media, many journalists did not believe him. The overseers only added fuel to
the fire, noting that the convicts are constantly trying to arouse pity by inventing various tales.
Meanwhile, many independent experts believe that the number of convicts who have been
assaulted in Rikers Island is 20% of the total number of convicts (Blunt, 2019). It also makes
society racially divided because the prison is just a product of institutional racism.
In addition, poor condition and poor treatment of prisoners encourage prisoners to opt
into criminal sub-cultures. That is why at Rikers, the first in the “risk group” are the first-ever
convicted teenagers thrown into the same cells as convicts who are repeat offenders (Cook,
2019). Most of them do not tell anyone about the experienced sexual humiliation, so as not to
destroy the reputation outside the prison. Today, Rikers Island is completely controlled by street
gang members. Thugs who have been in custody for longer than their freedom have been in
excellent relations with the guards and solve all the problems without any problems. As a result,
many convicts feel pressure from both bandits and staff. Often, convicts and overseers
deliberately conspire to break a person or start extorting money from him.
Recommendations
It should be noted that the underlying causes of the problems related to Rikers Island
prison is institutional racism. It is through institutional racism that the media is reluctant to
publicize the awful conditions at Rikers Island. In addition, it is through institutional racism that
the politicians and even human rights organizations are shying away from discussing issues
affecting Rikers Island Prison. Consequently, the best recommendation is for the policy-makers
to find ways of addressing institutional racism

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References
Armus, T. (2019). ‘A stain on New York City’: As lawmakers vote to close Rikers Island, some
see history repeating itself. The Washington Post. Retrieved from:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2019/10/18/new-york-rikers-island-voted-close/
Blunt, R. (2019). Rikers Island: Tales from inside New York's notorious jail. Retrieved from:
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-50114468
Cook, L. (2019). Rikers Island closure explained: Plan to shutter the complex and open
borough-based jails. Retrieved from: https://www.amny.com/news/closing-rikers-island-
explained-1-20505335/
Davies, D. (2019). Former Physician At Rikers Island Exposes Health Risks Of Incarceration.
Npr. Retrieved from:
https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2019/03/18/704424675/former-physician-at-
rikers-island-exposes-health-risks-of-incarceration
Guardian Staff (2019). New York votes to close notorious Rikers Island jail complex. Retrieved
from: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/oct/17/rikers-island-jail-new-york-
closure
Haag, M. (2019). Rikers Would Close in Historic Plan to Remake N.Y. Jail System. The New
York Times. Retrieved from: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/16/nyregion/rikers-
island-jail-closing.html
James R. and Jean C. (2013). America's 10 Worst Prisons: Rikers Island. Pub. Mother Jones.
New York. Www.motherjones.com

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Medina, D. A. (2019). Rikers 2.0: inside the battle to build four new jails in New York City. The
Guardian. Retrieved from: https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2019/dec/09/rikers-20-
inside-the-battle-to-build-four-new-prisons-in-new-york-city