rikers island
The Infamous Rikers Inmate Who Stole Entire Subway Trains
"The funniest thing is, I love the system," he tells us from the notorious New York City jail.
Powerful Jail Guard Union Boss and Hedge Fund Tycoon Arrested in NYC Corruption Probe
The president of America's largest municipal jail guard union was arrested on Wednesday in a case that is bad news for New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio.
After Two Years in Solitary, This Mother’s Healing Has Just Begun
"I'm talking to you, and I'm alive, but physically, spiritually, mentally—I died."
There's a New Way for People Arrested in NYC to Avoid Jail
A program called supervised release offers an escape route for people faced with a possible stint at New York City's hellish Rikers Island jail complex.
An Alleged Gang Member from Queens Was Thrown in Jail Because of a Rap Video
The 20-year-old got stabbed multiple times in the head after just a week on Rikers Island.
Friday Night Hip-Hop on Rikers Island
Hanging out with teenage inmates as they make beats and write rhymes inside the notorious New York City jail.
What Kalief Browder’s Mother Thinks Should Happen to Rikers
After years of abuses, local power players are making noise about closing the notorious NYC jail complex. We asked the mother of one of the island's most tragic figures for her take.
The Problem of America's 'Warehousing' of the Mentally Ill in Jails
A panel at the American Justice Summit takes a look at how America's jails became filled with the mentally ill, and discusses how the system can be fixed.
How Rikers Island Regressed (Extra Scene from ‘VICE News Meets Bernie Kerik’)
In this extra scene, Bernie Kerik tells VICE News how the reforms and improvements he made at Rikers Island penitentiary disintegrated after he left office, and what may have contributed to the state the prison is in today.
How to Stop the Dangerous 'Revolving Door' of Jailing the Mentally Ill
America's jails and prisons aren't meant to be mental health care facilities, but with nowhere else to go, the mentally ill often end up incarcerated. The result is poor care — and a lack of safety for all involved.
Bernie Kerik: The VICE News Interview
VICE News Editor-in-Chief Jason Mojica sits down with former New York police commissioner and convicted felon Bernie Kerik to discuss criminal justice reform.