Rikers Island
Posted inJails and Prisons
The federal remediation manager of the jail tapped Sarena Townsend to help run misconduct investigations.
Posted inJails and Prisons
City To Renew Rikers Phone Deal Amid AI Surveillance Concerns
Advocates warn the Securus system could funnel intimate detainee call details into the company’s AI tools.
Posted inJails and Prisons
They Overdosed in Plain View on Rikers Island. NYC Will Pay $5.2 Million
The estates of two men who died of methadone overdoses received large settlements amid a surge in Rikers-related payouts.
Posted inJails and Prisons
Three Rikers Deaths, Similar Failures: Officers Off Post, Medical Care Bungled
A new report details how missed safety checks, contraband drugs and lapses in medical care preceded the deaths of three detainees in late 2025.
Posted inLabor
Staff at Justice-Focused Nonprofits Launch Union Push
Workers at the Fortune Society and the Osborne Association want better wages and health benefits. The organizations help formerly incarcerated people rejoin society.
Posted inJails and Prisons
Mamdani’s New ‘Rikers Czar’ Helped Design Plan to Close Jail Complex
Dana Kaplan will be the mayor’s point person on opening new jails to replace crumbling facilities on Rikers Island, sources told THE CITY.
Posted inJails and Prisons
Ballots Behind Bars: Council Pushes Rikers Island Voting Overhaul
Lawmakers say absentee voting is failing in city jails.
Posted inJails and Prisons
Closing the Rikers Island 311 ‘Black Hole’
Proposed new law follows reporting by the THE CITY that found jail-related 311 calls are not publicly tracked or clearly resolved.
Posted inJails and Prisons
Delayed Bellevue Jail Unit to Open as Rikers Med Facility is Shut
City plans to close aging jail hospital as long-delayed $241 million replacement launches.
Posted inJails and Prisons
More Than 40k 311 Calls From Rikers Go Into a Black Hole Every Year
Detainees and families dial 311 to report freezing cells, hallucinations and denied medical care. Many complaints are routed as "customer comments" and vanish without action.

