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Rikers: An Oral History
NEW YORK TIMES EDITORS’ CHOICE • A shocking, groundbreaking oral history of the infamous Rikers jail complex and an unflinching portrait of injustice and resilience told by the people whose lives have been forever altered by it
“This mesmerizing and gut-wrenching book shows the brutal realities that tens of thousands of people have been forced to navigate, and survive, in America’s most notorious jail.”—Piper Kerman, New York Times bestselling author of Orange is the New Black
A KIRKUS REVIEWS BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR
What happens when you pack almost a dozen jails, bulging at the seams with society’s cast-offs, onto a spit of landfill purposefully hidden from public view? Prize-winning journalists Graham Rayman and Reuven Blau have spent two years interviewing more than 130 people comprising a broad cross section of lives touched by New York City's Rikers Island prison complex—from incarcerated people and their relatives, to officers, lawyers, and commissioners, with stories spanning the 1970s to the present day. The portrait that emerges calls into question the very nature of justice in America.
Offering a 360-degree view inside the country’s largest detention complex, the deeply personal accounts—featured here for the first time—take readers on a harrowing journey into every corner of Rikers, a failed society unto itself that reflects society’s failings as a whole.
Dr. Homer Venters was shocked by the screams on his first day working at “They’re in solitary, just yelling . . . the yelling literally never stops.” After a few months, though, Dr. Venters notes, one's ears adjust to the sounds. Nestor Eversley recalls how detainees made weapons from bones. Barry Campbell recalls hiding a razor blade in his mouth—“just in case”.
These are visceral stories of despair, brutality, resilience, humor, and hope, told by the people who were marooned on the island over the course of decades. As calls to shutter jails and reduce the number of incarcerated people grow louder across the country, with the movement to close the island complex itself at the forefront, Rikers is a resounding lesson about the human consequences of the incarceration industry.
“This mesmerizing and gut-wrenching book shows the brutal realities that tens of thousands of people have been forced to navigate, and survive, in America’s most notorious jail.”—Piper Kerman, New York Times bestselling author of Orange is the New Black
A KIRKUS REVIEWS BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR
What happens when you pack almost a dozen jails, bulging at the seams with society’s cast-offs, onto a spit of landfill purposefully hidden from public view? Prize-winning journalists Graham Rayman and Reuven Blau have spent two years interviewing more than 130 people comprising a broad cross section of lives touched by New York City's Rikers Island prison complex—from incarcerated people and their relatives, to officers, lawyers, and commissioners, with stories spanning the 1970s to the present day. The portrait that emerges calls into question the very nature of justice in America.
Offering a 360-degree view inside the country’s largest detention complex, the deeply personal accounts—featured here for the first time—take readers on a harrowing journey into every corner of Rikers, a failed society unto itself that reflects society’s failings as a whole.
Dr. Homer Venters was shocked by the screams on his first day working at “They’re in solitary, just yelling . . . the yelling literally never stops.” After a few months, though, Dr. Venters notes, one's ears adjust to the sounds. Nestor Eversley recalls how detainees made weapons from bones. Barry Campbell recalls hiding a razor blade in his mouth—“just in case”.
These are visceral stories of despair, brutality, resilience, humor, and hope, told by the people who were marooned on the island over the course of decades. As calls to shutter jails and reduce the number of incarcerated people grow louder across the country, with the movement to close the island complex itself at the forefront, Rikers is a resounding lesson about the human consequences of the incarceration industry.
449 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 17, 2023
201 people are currently reading
4934 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 120 reviews
February 17, 2023
Wow. This book was really something. At first, I was skeptical about getting through a pretty lengthy book containing just verbal statements and accounts provided by so many of the people who have been affected by Riker’s Island: from the wardens and corrections officers, to lawyers and legal aid/prison reform advocates, and of course, many of the former (and some current) detainees, often along with their family members.
It was truly amazing how the book came together in such a cohesive way - especially given the amount of people involved in the project and the many, many topics which spanned across thirty chapters. It was a beautiful story of humanity; people who had often been punished severely and dehumanized for years simply for being born into bad circumstances (often along with the color of their skin). This comprehensive book gave all these unfortunate individuals the chance to at least get their story out there and make their voice heard.
While a lot of the book catalogued the horrific conditions and treatment of detainees in the DOC, and particularly in Riker’s -the two stories that really made me sick were 1) where a mentally ill man was locked in solitary for I believe eight months, in a cell so tiny he could barely move, with the constant blaring of the power generator in his ear. He died after excessive heat stroke, exacerbated by his illness and medications and by the fact that during that particular NYC summer, temperatures grew as hot as 120° in those solitary cells.
And 2) - the man who was murdered by a CO, whose death was covered up before the truth finally came out 3-4 years later. The sickest part about it all was that the CO was genuinely proud of what he’d done. Not only had he gotten a teardrop tattoo under his eye to indicate he was now a murderer/“made man”, but when they finally arrested him and searched his home, they actually found newspaper articles about the detainee’s death - the one he’d murdered - that he kept as incredibly sick souvenirs. I can only hope that he gets what’s coming to him now that HE’S the one who is in a cage.
While it’s easy to blame COs and talk about how inhumane and evil they are, most really aren’t. But you’d have to try to picture yourself in that type of totally unnatural environment and culture of complete chaos and violence day after day. That kind of environment will make nearly anyone snap. So I think it was great that the authors covered the story from all angles, presenting many of the COs as human beings who often knew what they had done was wrong, yet struggled with trying to keep it together in an incredibly difficult setting.
There weren’t just stories of horror told, though. Many people talked about the humanity they’d experienced and always remembered, whether it was a simple act of kindness from a CO, a performing arts teacher, a fellow detainee. Just showing how a little can go such a LONG way, if we can all just view one another as fellow human beings and treat each other as such. So yes, while the majority of the book may have been sad, depressing, horrific, they were also sure to include the good, the kindness, the funny stories (such as Riker’s Island’s most famous escapee, Ronald Tackmann, who once escaped by having the bus driver pull the bus over and let him off - after he threatened him with a gun - made of soap.
It looked that REAL, lol. Apparently the guy was a legit MENSA card carrying member. So when you consider just how creative someone of average intelligence or so can get with nothing but time on their hands, just imagine someone who is genius or near genius level intelligence.
As the book said, many good changes have been introduced, the inmate population has gone way down in the past couple years - but we still have a LONG way to go as a country. To realize that locking people up like animals in cages is NOT going to “rehabilitate” them. Or that a person with a drug problem serves as no danger to anyone but his/herself and has no reason to be locked up in such a terrible place when what they really need is emotional support and encouragement (and Riker’s Island is the last place they’re going to get it).
Obviously, by the rating, I’d recommend this book to all. I’d also challenge all who actually read it that are set against prison reform and better conditions inside prisons to read this whole book and still say they believe so many people need to be locked up like that. Sure, people who have committed heinous crimes and have severely hurt, traumatized, or taken the lives of others. But should prostitutes, petty thieves, homeless alcoholics, etc. - really be sleeping in the same dorm as an offender facing a double homicide charge?!
One can only hope that one day, little by little, we won’t be a country with one of the world’s highest incarceration rates by its population. It’s a completely useless and broken system for probably 90% of those trapped there, so why do we keep repeating this ugly and vicious cycle?! That’s what I’m hoping reform activists will figure out sooner than later and come up with something to actually help some of society’s most vulnerable populations - rather than damaging them beyond all repair, as is the current situation.
Again, fantastic read, and huge round of applause to the authors for pulling off such a difficult project, bringing all these stories together in such a phenomenal way.
It was truly amazing how the book came together in such a cohesive way - especially given the amount of people involved in the project and the many, many topics which spanned across thirty chapters. It was a beautiful story of humanity; people who had often been punished severely and dehumanized for years simply for being born into bad circumstances (often along with the color of their skin). This comprehensive book gave all these unfortunate individuals the chance to at least get their story out there and make their voice heard.
While a lot of the book catalogued the horrific conditions and treatment of detainees in the DOC, and particularly in Riker’s -the two stories that really made me sick were 1) where a mentally ill man was locked in solitary for I believe eight months, in a cell so tiny he could barely move, with the constant blaring of the power generator in his ear. He died after excessive heat stroke, exacerbated by his illness and medications and by the fact that during that particular NYC summer, temperatures grew as hot as 120° in those solitary cells.
And 2) - the man who was murdered by a CO, whose death was covered up before the truth finally came out 3-4 years later. The sickest part about it all was that the CO was genuinely proud of what he’d done. Not only had he gotten a teardrop tattoo under his eye to indicate he was now a murderer/“made man”, but when they finally arrested him and searched his home, they actually found newspaper articles about the detainee’s death - the one he’d murdered - that he kept as incredibly sick souvenirs. I can only hope that he gets what’s coming to him now that HE’S the one who is in a cage.
While it’s easy to blame COs and talk about how inhumane and evil they are, most really aren’t. But you’d have to try to picture yourself in that type of totally unnatural environment and culture of complete chaos and violence day after day. That kind of environment will make nearly anyone snap. So I think it was great that the authors covered the story from all angles, presenting many of the COs as human beings who often knew what they had done was wrong, yet struggled with trying to keep it together in an incredibly difficult setting.
There weren’t just stories of horror told, though. Many people talked about the humanity they’d experienced and always remembered, whether it was a simple act of kindness from a CO, a performing arts teacher, a fellow detainee. Just showing how a little can go such a LONG way, if we can all just view one another as fellow human beings and treat each other as such. So yes, while the majority of the book may have been sad, depressing, horrific, they were also sure to include the good, the kindness, the funny stories (such as Riker’s Island’s most famous escapee, Ronald Tackmann, who once escaped by having the bus driver pull the bus over and let him off - after he threatened him with a gun - made of soap.
It looked that REAL, lol. Apparently the guy was a legit MENSA card carrying member. So when you consider just how creative someone of average intelligence or so can get with nothing but time on their hands, just imagine someone who is genius or near genius level intelligence.
As the book said, many good changes have been introduced, the inmate population has gone way down in the past couple years - but we still have a LONG way to go as a country. To realize that locking people up like animals in cages is NOT going to “rehabilitate” them. Or that a person with a drug problem serves as no danger to anyone but his/herself and has no reason to be locked up in such a terrible place when what they really need is emotional support and encouragement (and Riker’s Island is the last place they’re going to get it).
Obviously, by the rating, I’d recommend this book to all. I’d also challenge all who actually read it that are set against prison reform and better conditions inside prisons to read this whole book and still say they believe so many people need to be locked up like that. Sure, people who have committed heinous crimes and have severely hurt, traumatized, or taken the lives of others. But should prostitutes, petty thieves, homeless alcoholics, etc. - really be sleeping in the same dorm as an offender facing a double homicide charge?!
One can only hope that one day, little by little, we won’t be a country with one of the world’s highest incarceration rates by its population. It’s a completely useless and broken system for probably 90% of those trapped there, so why do we keep repeating this ugly and vicious cycle?! That’s what I’m hoping reform activists will figure out sooner than later and come up with something to actually help some of society’s most vulnerable populations - rather than damaging them beyond all repair, as is the current situation.
Again, fantastic read, and huge round of applause to the authors for pulling off such a difficult project, bringing all these stories together in such a phenomenal way.
Read
May 15, 2023I quite liked this one but I won't rate because it is a collection of personal stories so it feels weird. The book is, as per the title, an oral history of Rikers. It means that the chapters are by theme (first day at Rikers, last day, violence, LGBTQ+ people....) and in each you have the relevant testimony. Everyone who comes to the prison has been interviewed: inmates, COs, visitors. The concept is very good but sometimes it jumped around too much and we needed more context added by the authors. I mean Rikers is not a prison in which people stay long, most are awaiting trial which can be long but you don't have people sentenced to 25 years there. I wish this had been explained from the start. Same with the number of people on the site, this was said but later. I imagine you're supposed to know that but I didn't. I didn't have a sense of the geography of the place. So I wish we had an introductory overview of the place. Then I would say that the chapters were not equally interesting. Some were very interesting but others were confusing or boring. For some I wish he had gotten more details. Anyway it was still interesting and I would recommend because we are not told those stories often.
July 12, 2023
"People in jail are often judged for their actions, but where is the rehabilitation in that? You have to be part of that rehabilitation."
I like oral histories, and Rikers: An Oral History is a well rounded view of the lives of those who have lived, worked or visited the infamous facility. Approximately 130 people shared stories, from the incarcerated and their families to the officers, wardens, lawyers, activists, etc. Fyodor Dostoevsky wrote that "the degree of civilization in a society can be judged by entering its prisons", that being the case, our prisons and the way we treat the incarcerated does not say good things about us as a society, regardless of the spin many put on the issue.
I like oral histories, and Rikers: An Oral History is a well rounded view of the lives of those who have lived, worked or visited the infamous facility. Approximately 130 people shared stories, from the incarcerated and their families to the officers, wardens, lawyers, activists, etc. Fyodor Dostoevsky wrote that "the degree of civilization in a society can be judged by entering its prisons", that being the case, our prisons and the way we treat the incarcerated does not say good things about us as a society, regardless of the spin many put on the issue.
February 23, 2023
Well I didn't need my consciousness raised about the issues in this book, but it solidified for me that our country will never fully be civilized or moral until we stop our grotesque treatment of incarcerated people, many of which haven't even been convicted of a crime yet. Holding people in disgusting, violent cesspools because they don't have the money for bail for petty offenses is unconscionable. I do compare all oral histories the the near perfect Please Kill Me, so this one gets four out of five stars, but people in power in New York and frankly everywhere should be very ashamed.
December 4, 2022
An in depth look at everything that goes on both inside and outside one of the toughest prisons in the country - Rikers. Told through numerous interviews from all spectrums - inmates, their families, correction officers, advocates, and bureaucrats. Fascinating and hard to put down. I for one will be glad to see it close. Thanks to the authors, publishers and Netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.
March 18, 2025
Despite what Prison Mike told me, prison does not sound awesome and there’s a lot of things there that are worse than the dementors.
November 6, 2022
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.
Wow, what an eye-opening book. The amount of violence and corruption within Rikers is astonishing. Each chapter focuses on a different aspect of Rikers and the chapters really show how dysfunction the prison system can be.
It took me a while to get through this book as I had to read it in small amounts because of how infuriating it was.
Wow, what an eye-opening book. The amount of violence and corruption within Rikers is astonishing. Each chapter focuses on a different aspect of Rikers and the chapters really show how dysfunction the prison system can be.
It took me a while to get through this book as I had to read it in small amounts because of how infuriating it was.
May 12, 2023
Going into this book not knowing anything about this prison other than knowing it exists was an eye opener. Decades of casual abuse and inhumane conditions ignored because “well this is Rikers and it’s just how we do it here.” while the people running it knew it was wrong and didn’t care, because it’s a prison.
March 11, 2023
Truly a great book. I took my time and enjoyed reading it.
October 17, 2024
Some horrific and edifying information within this book. Rikers Island sounds like hell.
Read
February 1, 2023essential reading
April 20, 2023
I didn’t care for the oral history format. I found it a bit disjointed and the reader doesn’t get enough information about the speakers until the end. I would have preferred a straightforward narrative that could have told a more coherent story.
February 19, 2023
If you are from NYC, you will know at the very least one person that has gone to Rikers. It's part of the history of the city. This is the written 'oral' history of Rikers, compiling a series of voices from previously incarcerated persons, retired correction officers, mental health officials, attorneys and more. The voices that come through from all sides tell the same story, but from a different vantage point. I like that it spans the origins of Rikers all the way up to the Adams administration.
The book is divided into different categories like the experiences of the LGBTQ persons, the events surrounding Covid-19, the attempts at reform, the mental health situation, the treatment of adolescents, the role/influence of gangs in the prison and more. The detention center itself is treated as a standalone overarching silent contributor with the inability to change it's own fate.
I highly recommend this and is not for the faint of heart.
The book is divided into different categories like the experiences of the LGBTQ persons, the events surrounding Covid-19, the attempts at reform, the mental health situation, the treatment of adolescents, the role/influence of gangs in the prison and more. The detention center itself is treated as a standalone overarching silent contributor with the inability to change it's own fate.
I highly recommend this and is not for the faint of heart.
March 27, 2023
I listened to the audiobook but I wasn't able to choose that edition.
I highly recommend listening to this, as it is an oral history. The authors interviewed more than 100 people affiliated with Rikers Island, New York City's notorious prison. They interviewed administrators, correction officers, the formerly incarcerated, and families. It sounds like a hellhole with unimaginable conditions--all types of bodily fluids on the floors of holding cells. And the corruption, wow. The book makes a good case for the prison reform movement.
I highly recommend listening to this, as it is an oral history. The authors interviewed more than 100 people affiliated with Rikers Island, New York City's notorious prison. They interviewed administrators, correction officers, the formerly incarcerated, and families. It sounds like a hellhole with unimaginable conditions--all types of bodily fluids on the floors of holding cells. And the corruption, wow. The book makes a good case for the prison reform movement.
May 19, 2023
Excellent total exposure and information for people who've always wondered what it was like to cross over that bridge into the infamous Rikers! The hundreds of oral interviews with past Riker's detainees, guards, families, wardens, and neighborhood representatives.
July 28, 2023
This book was fantastic! I really appreciated how there was little to no commentary, and the way it was organized was so unique and I can’t believe I haven’t seen more books organize history in this way. I really recommend that anyone is interested in learning about the day to day conditions at Rikers read this.
February 25, 2023
4.75
Rtc
Rtc
April 4, 2025
“Rikers Island on this flow, eight months for that pistol, but at least they had some bad bitches working in that shit hole.” I understand it now.
April 15, 2023
In the beginning of this book, I considered stopping since I didn’t think I wanted to read 300 pages of various interviews dealing with violence but I’m so glad I stuck with it. Each chapter has on a different aspect of Rikers from multiple POV to understand the complexity of it all. The problems are so massive- holding people accountable, hurt people hurt people, mental illness, drug addiction, creative ways to smuggle contraband, etc. I’ll be thinking about this one for awhile.
November 6, 2023
Grim and exhaustive look at a prison where conditions are unlikely to improve for some time.
June 10, 2024
Comprehensive/decently organized collection of riker’s island accounts - def Recommend.
April 22, 2025
Creative format and extremely compelling stories.
February 23, 2023
I was interested in the subject of the book and found it interesting. However, I couldn't shake off the feeling that so much more could have been done. The way the book is composed out of many different interviews does not work particularly well for the audio format and the picture of Rikers that you get out of it feels a bit disjoint.
August 1, 2023
Rikers Island jail complex is where many of New York's accused spend time awaiting trial. Drugs and beatings are rife, but there is hope as well. In this oral history, collated with compassion and understanding by Rayman and Blau, readers are offered an unflinching look at what happens on this infamous island.
March 31, 2023
Informative and moving; focus on the voices of the incarcerated and the corrections officers means that you dont get a lot of policy prescriptions, but that’s not what it’s for, I believe. Audiobook is truly outstanding; I assume the cast are actors but they are sympathetic and believable.
November 12, 2023
Starts out really interesting but quickly loses momentum.
May 11, 2023
2.5 stars
Rikers: An Oral History is a nonfiction account composed from over 130 interviews with those who have experienced Rikers, whether former detainees, parents of detainees, guards, wardens, or politicians.
Rikers is comprised of chapters based upon subject matter, such as race, mental health, contraband, riots, etc. Each chapter begins with a few sentences by the authors followed by many quotes from interviewees. Organized in this manner, I struggle to call Rikers a narrative. Instead, this format creates a very disjointed storyline that lacks editorial input. Each chapter bounces from individual to individual (without knowing anything about the individuals), despite their various backgrounds, roles, and experiences that took place decades apart. While I can appreciate the authors allowing those with first-hand experience to share their stories, I was left grasping for more structure and context. With how little of the book was actually written by the authors, I almost find it unfair to credit them above everyone else who gave them the content for the book.
Similarly, Rayman and Blau provide no real introduction to Rikers for those unfamiliar with the penal system. For example, the authors do not note even the basic information that Rikers is a jail complex and not a prison. I think this is an important detail that some may not understand, especially considering the shockingly long amount of time people are held there. We also learn from interviewees, rather than the authors, that Rikers is several jails and not one, as the name implies. Essentially, the authors supply only very basic surface-level information and fail to editorialize the book into a cohesive narrative. Moreover, despite the chapters being subject-based, the issues are not fully explored and lacked nuance. As a consequence, I was confused with who the target audience is supposed to be. The lack of details point to Rikers being aimed at individuals unfamiliar with the system, but at the same time, it does not offer the fundamental information these readers should have.
Whether a reader is or is not familiar with the penal system, I think they would benefit from a book with greater context. For instance, the authors never compare Rikers to jails outside New York. Readers do not have the information needed to judge what at Rikers is status quo for jails and what is abnormal. As a result, the peculiarity of Rikers is not communicated. Obviously, Rikers is different from other jails or it would not warrant a thick volume such as Rikers: An Oral History.
The only book that I have read similar to Rikers is The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11 by Garrett Graff. Since these are both oral histories, I think it is fair to compare the two books. For me, The Only Plane in the Sky was much superior. Its author, Garrett Graff, skillfully wrote a narrative that wove together individual stories to detail history in chronological order. This cannot be said for Rikers: the history part is rather lacking and the stories are only tangentially connected by subject.
Despite its poor composition, I do believe that Rikers: An Oral History did humanize the jails’ detainees and displayed guards’ and politicians’ attitudes. Although I have mixed feelings about detainees’ experiences being intermixed with those in power – guards, wardens, etc., I appreciate that the interviewees represented a diverse sample of people.
I will also note that the audiobook is narrated by all of those quoted in the book, which I really appreciated. It was nice to hear the stories from those who experienced them. My only issue with this was that the sound mixing was uneven and required me to frequently adjust the volume as some individuals were louder and some quieter.
Overall, Rikers: An Oral History is filled with interesting personal stories but outside of detailing those, this book did not do much. It did not see aimed to educate, persuade, or make an argument. I would recommend it if you are just looking for some entertaining tales about life at Rikers. If you want to learn more about the issues plaguing Rikers and other U.S. jails and prisons, this is not the book for that.
Rikers: An Oral History is a nonfiction account composed from over 130 interviews with those who have experienced Rikers, whether former detainees, parents of detainees, guards, wardens, or politicians.
Rikers is comprised of chapters based upon subject matter, such as race, mental health, contraband, riots, etc. Each chapter begins with a few sentences by the authors followed by many quotes from interviewees. Organized in this manner, I struggle to call Rikers a narrative. Instead, this format creates a very disjointed storyline that lacks editorial input. Each chapter bounces from individual to individual (without knowing anything about the individuals), despite their various backgrounds, roles, and experiences that took place decades apart. While I can appreciate the authors allowing those with first-hand experience to share their stories, I was left grasping for more structure and context. With how little of the book was actually written by the authors, I almost find it unfair to credit them above everyone else who gave them the content for the book.
Similarly, Rayman and Blau provide no real introduction to Rikers for those unfamiliar with the penal system. For example, the authors do not note even the basic information that Rikers is a jail complex and not a prison. I think this is an important detail that some may not understand, especially considering the shockingly long amount of time people are held there. We also learn from interviewees, rather than the authors, that Rikers is several jails and not one, as the name implies. Essentially, the authors supply only very basic surface-level information and fail to editorialize the book into a cohesive narrative. Moreover, despite the chapters being subject-based, the issues are not fully explored and lacked nuance. As a consequence, I was confused with who the target audience is supposed to be. The lack of details point to Rikers being aimed at individuals unfamiliar with the system, but at the same time, it does not offer the fundamental information these readers should have.
Whether a reader is or is not familiar with the penal system, I think they would benefit from a book with greater context. For instance, the authors never compare Rikers to jails outside New York. Readers do not have the information needed to judge what at Rikers is status quo for jails and what is abnormal. As a result, the peculiarity of Rikers is not communicated. Obviously, Rikers is different from other jails or it would not warrant a thick volume such as Rikers: An Oral History.
The only book that I have read similar to Rikers is The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11 by Garrett Graff. Since these are both oral histories, I think it is fair to compare the two books. For me, The Only Plane in the Sky was much superior. Its author, Garrett Graff, skillfully wrote a narrative that wove together individual stories to detail history in chronological order. This cannot be said for Rikers: the history part is rather lacking and the stories are only tangentially connected by subject.
Despite its poor composition, I do believe that Rikers: An Oral History did humanize the jails’ detainees and displayed guards’ and politicians’ attitudes. Although I have mixed feelings about detainees’ experiences being intermixed with those in power – guards, wardens, etc., I appreciate that the interviewees represented a diverse sample of people.
I will also note that the audiobook is narrated by all of those quoted in the book, which I really appreciated. It was nice to hear the stories from those who experienced them. My only issue with this was that the sound mixing was uneven and required me to frequently adjust the volume as some individuals were louder and some quieter.
Overall, Rikers: An Oral History is filled with interesting personal stories but outside of detailing those, this book did not do much. It did not see aimed to educate, persuade, or make an argument. I would recommend it if you are just looking for some entertaining tales about life at Rikers. If you want to learn more about the issues plaguing Rikers and other U.S. jails and prisons, this is not the book for that.
January 11, 2025
Rikers is and has been a disgrace to this country. It's likely not the worst, just a bit more visible than some. It illustrates the worst factors of our criminal justice system. People are traumatized and, not that rarely, killed. It would be much less expensive to have an actual rehabilitation setting with real programs to help these people.
The book consists almost entirely of stories told by inmates and employees. There's an incredible amount of violence, drugs, and gangs, all of which the employees perpetrate apparently as much as the inmates. The administration condones and sometimes encourages all of it. Some employees and administrators are well-meaning, at least at times, but they become inured to the situation, and there's a lot of pressure to just go along with it.
Of course, many of the prisoners are there because they have done some really bad things. Some of them need to be kept out of the community because they pose a danger. But it's not necessarily that many, at least until they've been exposed to this horrible culture. Apparently, if you don't show that you're tough, mostly by beating up people, your chance of survival is not the greatest. I'm talking here about the COs and their chain of command as much as the prisoners. There are statements in here from employees that are chilling; they seem to have lost any sense of empathy. Some are associated with the same gangs as the prisoners, and quite willing to persecute people in other gangs. This is racism and classism, yes, but coming mostly from other people of color who come from the same neighborhoods as the prisoners. Very discouraging.
The practice of keeping people who can't afford bail in a prison with convicted criminals, and leaving them there for months and sometimes years, is abhorrent. The practice of putting teenagers into this setting because they've done something that might be considered typical adolescent behavior in white middle class kids is also abhorrent. There's a story of an older man, an artist, who got put in Riker's for riding his bicycle. This is a broken system that is making profits for a lot of vendors and paying union employees well, with excellent benefits (and I'm sure very high salaries to quite a few administrators). At the same time, the physical setup is decaying to the point that it's largely illegal (reading about inspections makes them look like a farce).
The authors try to balance all the bad with a little good, which is nice to read about but is not the norm, and try to end the book with a hopeful outlook about reforms and the future. Based on Rikers's long and notorious past, improvement doesn't seem likely any time soon. I hope I'm wrong.
The book consists almost entirely of stories told by inmates and employees. There's an incredible amount of violence, drugs, and gangs, all of which the employees perpetrate apparently as much as the inmates. The administration condones and sometimes encourages all of it. Some employees and administrators are well-meaning, at least at times, but they become inured to the situation, and there's a lot of pressure to just go along with it.
Of course, many of the prisoners are there because they have done some really bad things. Some of them need to be kept out of the community because they pose a danger. But it's not necessarily that many, at least until they've been exposed to this horrible culture. Apparently, if you don't show that you're tough, mostly by beating up people, your chance of survival is not the greatest. I'm talking here about the COs and their chain of command as much as the prisoners. There are statements in here from employees that are chilling; they seem to have lost any sense of empathy. Some are associated with the same gangs as the prisoners, and quite willing to persecute people in other gangs. This is racism and classism, yes, but coming mostly from other people of color who come from the same neighborhoods as the prisoners. Very discouraging.
The practice of keeping people who can't afford bail in a prison with convicted criminals, and leaving them there for months and sometimes years, is abhorrent. The practice of putting teenagers into this setting because they've done something that might be considered typical adolescent behavior in white middle class kids is also abhorrent. There's a story of an older man, an artist, who got put in Riker's for riding his bicycle. This is a broken system that is making profits for a lot of vendors and paying union employees well, with excellent benefits (and I'm sure very high salaries to quite a few administrators). At the same time, the physical setup is decaying to the point that it's largely illegal (reading about inspections makes them look like a farce).
The authors try to balance all the bad with a little good, which is nice to read about but is not the norm, and try to end the book with a hopeful outlook about reforms and the future. Based on Rikers's long and notorious past, improvement doesn't seem likely any time soon. I hope I'm wrong.
April 16, 2025
recommended by a mentor and an essential look into not only the entity that is rikers but also the depths of how deeply malicious the united states carceral system is.
“But if you grow up in the projects and the public school system and then go to Rikers Island, it almost feels like no big deal. It feels like, oh, we know this setting. I’m willing to bet the same architect designed all three things.”
“It’s a different type of plantation mentality. ‘Cause now Mister boss man got you working in the hot, taking everybody else through. So now you have to be more superior than the person you bringing in because that’s that type of superiority where you just keep this mind dull. Malcolm used to talk to us about this all the time, about dulling the mind, thinking that a certain position of power makes you more powerful than the person that is at the deficit.”
“It makes no sense to me. Rikers triggers people with mental illness. It makes it worse. It makes everybody worse. If you weren’t the type of person to do something before you went into Rikers, Rikers will turn you into that type of person, like no other — I’m sorry, now I’m on my soapbox — no other institution gets so many passes for failure as the criminal justice system.”
“What really surprised me about Rikers is, here we are in the middle of New York City, a city that we think is one of the most progressive in the world, and that people were held in conditions of absolute dangerous temperature.
You fly into LaGuardia and you see the island right there, and the conditions are just as severe as any of the work prisons I’ve been in. Now, I’ve been in many, many prisons, including ICE detention centers, ’cause I worked as a medical expert for Homeland Security for a while. That was the most striking thing. In New York City, we think that we are a little bit more progressive or we have something less racist or less something. What really struck me is that is so much not the case.”
“But if you grow up in the projects and the public school system and then go to Rikers Island, it almost feels like no big deal. It feels like, oh, we know this setting. I’m willing to bet the same architect designed all three things.”
“It’s a different type of plantation mentality. ‘Cause now Mister boss man got you working in the hot, taking everybody else through. So now you have to be more superior than the person you bringing in because that’s that type of superiority where you just keep this mind dull. Malcolm used to talk to us about this all the time, about dulling the mind, thinking that a certain position of power makes you more powerful than the person that is at the deficit.”
“It makes no sense to me. Rikers triggers people with mental illness. It makes it worse. It makes everybody worse. If you weren’t the type of person to do something before you went into Rikers, Rikers will turn you into that type of person, like no other — I’m sorry, now I’m on my soapbox — no other institution gets so many passes for failure as the criminal justice system.”
“What really surprised me about Rikers is, here we are in the middle of New York City, a city that we think is one of the most progressive in the world, and that people were held in conditions of absolute dangerous temperature.
You fly into LaGuardia and you see the island right there, and the conditions are just as severe as any of the work prisons I’ve been in. Now, I’ve been in many, many prisons, including ICE detention centers, ’cause I worked as a medical expert for Homeland Security for a while. That was the most striking thing. In New York City, we think that we are a little bit more progressive or we have something less racist or less something. What really struck me is that is so much not the case.”
May 19, 2023
What an incredible account of life at Rikers. The authors, both journalists, wrote this book as a collection of interviews of current and former inmates, corrections officers, wardens and families thereof. If you watch Blue Bloods on TV and Danny threatens to throw someone into Rikers, they usually acquiesce to him so they won’t be. After reading this book, you’ll understand why. The food alone is horrifying. What a horrible place. Prisoners are dehumanized there, beaten, some even die and are refused their medications, and then there was the prison riot when they turned into crazed animals during the hottest summer and took over the guards. Conditions are worse than horrifying. Many of the former inmates have returned, but many have not. I had no idea one of the former inmates interviewed who was detained there more than once, a junkie, then ended up at Sing-Sing (I found out later), would turn out to be someone I know only through having been friended by him, via networking, (we are both musicians) on facebook. I’ve never met him in person. But…He is one of the lucky ones who turned himself around through the study of Buddhism and education, and now is an advocate for criminal justice reform. There was a push to close Rikers, and he was part of that, but the controversy is: Where will we put the prisoners if we do? Rikers houses as many as 10,000 per day there, mostly pretrial, or if their sentences are less than a year. However, they could be incarcerated for as many as two years awaiting their trial. Even families can be treated badly if they go to visit a family member incarcerated there. It’s worth the time to read the book. Preferably before you’ve had anything to eat.
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