Captives How Rikers Island Took New York City Hostage

by Jarrod Shanahan

Captives combines a thrilling account of Rikers Island’s descent into infamy with a dramatic retelling of the last seventy years of New York politics from the vantage point of the city’s jails. It is a story of a crowded field of contending powers—city bureaucrats and unions, black power activists and guards, crooked cops and elected leaders—struggling for power and influence, a tale culminating in mass incarceration and the triumph of neoliberalism. It is a riveting chronicle of how the Rikers Island of today—and the social order it represents—came to be.

Conjuring sweeping cinematic vistas, Captives records how the tempo of history was set by bloody and bruising clashes between guards and prisoners, between rank-and-filers and union bosses, between reformers and reactionaries, and between police officers and virtually everyone else. Written by a one-time Rikers prisoner, Captives draws on extensive archival research, decades of journalism, interviews, prisoner testimonials, and firsthand experience to deliver an urgent intervention into our national discussion about the future of mass incarceration and the call to abolish prisons. The contentious debate about the future of the Rikers Island penal colony rolls onward, and Captives is a must-read for anyone interested in the island and what it represents

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Race, United States, Audiobook

448 pages, Hardcover

Published May 17, 2022

About the author

Jarrod Shanahan is a writer, activist, and educator based in Chicago. He works as an Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice at Governors State University in University Park, Illinois, and is the coauthor of States of Incarceration: Rebellion, Reform, and the Future of America’s Punishment System; a co-editor of Treason to Whiteness Is Loyalty to Humanity, a Noel Ignatiev reader; and an editor of Hard Crackers: Chronicles of Everyday Life.

Reviews

[Maud · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written, well researched, and interesting all at the same time. A compelling argument for abolition and revolution - not reform. Also just a great story situated historically. Shut it down.

[Alexis Borg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy cow. This one was tough to get through but so so informative and interesting.

[E.A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this audiobook from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. In general I am interested in the history and present day situation surrounding prisons, not only regarding the theory behind incarceration, but also the implementation.

The author, having spent some time in prison himself, brings a unique perspective to the history of Rikers Island, which probably another author on the same subject would have lacked.

I found the book to be highly informative, and at times infuriating -- the prison policies of the US are just atrocious!

I think that this is an important book as it shows the inequality of a system that was not built for "rehabilitation", despite everyone's protestations to the contrary. That most of the prison population is not white, is not an accident and is a symptom of the racism which runs rampant in America.

I highly recommend this book, even for people who are not usually into nonfiction or history books.

[Thus Kvothe The Raven · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book narrating the history of the penal colony on Rikers Island in New York City. Shanahan details the political scene from the 50’s through the early 90’s and beyond, which gives insight into the thought and machinations behind this terrible place.

Narrator Tremblay does a good job with the material, which is very politicized and polarizing while remaining dry. This book is by turns boring, infuriating, heartbreaking, dry, and impassioned. The story of this ghastly prison is told in a very linear fashion, so it is easy to follow.

Three and a half stars. The material itself resonates with me and I do appreciate the facts and history lesson behind its construction. Unfortunately it was just a little dry for my taste, though filled with sadness, humor, and the harsh reality of an unchecked “correctional” facility operated by thugs. Ultimately I finished the book with a feeling of frustration. My thanks to Tantor Audio via Netgalley for this nearly 14-hour audiobook.

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[Cortney Sparks · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was not a huge fan of this audiobook. As much as I like true crime and books like this, I found this to be rather boring. There was a lot of informative stuff, but I wish they more focused on the crimes and criminals. I could have done without some of the information.
I did really enjoy the stories on the riots and how things were handled back then. I have always heard tales of Rikers Island and how horrible of a place that it is. It is definitely one of the last places that I would want to be locked up in.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible! Lays out in full detail the history of penal welfarism in NYC, and how time and time again history has shown that “reforming” jails is a ruse. The stories of Rikers rebellions and escapes were inspiring, and the complicity of the reformist non profit industrial complex is nothing new but important to loudly criticize.

Appreciated the honoring of the life and death of Kalief Browder at the end, as he fought against the dehumanization at Rikers until it killed him. Fantastic book

[Christine Leak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extremely interesting account into the history of the Rikers Island prison system starting in the 1950’s-1990’s highlighting the class struggles within the city of New York and the corruption that goes hand in hand with the carceral system as a whole! 5 stars

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Comprehensive and powerful account of NYC in the 20th century through the lens of Rikers island and the carceral system. Helped me synthesize thoughts on a lot of other books I’ve read, and shape my understanding of the current conversation around “law and order” politics.

[Luke Mckee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book - an enlightening and very detailed history of carceral reform in NYC.

[Katelin Penner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good, hard read that commits you to abolition

[Rachel Rood-Ojalvo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well-told story articulating why prisons can’t be reformed

[Kevin McAvoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting but too much trivial political accusations. The place really is a money pit that rehabilitates nobody. The guards are as bad as the inmates. Sick American incarceration policy.

[Lizzie (Dizzy Lizzie’s Book Emporium) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley for access to the audiobook of Captives: How Rikers Island Took New York City Hostage by Jarrod Shanahan in exchange for an honest review.

CW: incarceration, racism, classism

This is an excellently researched book presenting the history of Rikers Island and its vast development within the prison-industrial complex. Shanahan provides a holistic picture of the socio-political context that contributed to boom of the prison and mass incarceration in New York. While this book was informative, it was a history book in the more traditional sense. There were not many stories from individuals who have been effected by either imprisonment or proximity to Rikers Island, which was especially disappointing since the author himself claims to have been an inmate at Rikers for a brief period of time. With histories like these, I always find the narrative to be more accessible and interesting when personalized stories are included. Overall, I would recommend this book to people who are more interested in history and politics than to those who are more interested in the systemic issues of mass incarceration. Michelle Alexander's The New Jim Crow is a suggested alternative for those looking for the latter.

[Keir · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Captives, Shanahan conducts a Marxist historical analysis of the American prison system and its role in maintaining capitalist order, using Rykers Island as a case study and writing in highly engaging, digestible prose.