Everyone had a drug addiction. That was all you could do, I remember years ago when I worked in a drug rehab in the South Bronx for parolees. MB: Drugs were everything. “I hesitate, dreading the walk through the gauntlet of misery. They were going to provoke a patient who was mentally ill, very fragile and potentially explosive, and create an incident. But I was determined not to forget, and if it took me the rest of my life, I’m going to tell the story as best as I could. “Help me…” The blood is trickling down into his eyes and I realize that we’re well beyond therapeutic dialogue.”. ... Gonzalez said he once was slapped in the face and punched in his ribs by correctional officers for turning a sock inside-out incorrectly after a visit from his mother. Luis Reyes, 34, who was detained after pleading not guilty to stealing a package, spoke to CNN in multiple 15-minute increments from a phone at a dorm-style jail facility on Rikers Island. Some released inmates with charges involving domestic violence allegedly have committed more domestic violence crimes against their previous victims, the official confirmed. I went to the unit chief, but it’s tricky. I saw retribution to people who pointed the finger and it was horrible. She helped found Social Workers Against Solitary Confinement, and speaks and lectures against the carceral state and solitary confinement. I kept looking around me and saying, this is the United States, we’re progressive on human rights, we have board-certified doctors, white lab coats, the American flag flying above the jail. (CNN)As coronavirus cases began spiking in New York City in March, officials worried that the city's notorious jail system on Rikers Island could become a powder keg inside the epicenter of the pandemic. People in that moment need help.We don’t have that. Well, he was used to carry drugs. A look inside Rikers Island which is a rather unknown place in New York. Really some beautiful and wonderful people who needed to be heard. They ignored us until our numbers increased and we kept pushing them. I’d go back up and make sure they got a magazine. WATCH THE FULL EPISODE OF NIGHTLINE: - A Hidden America: Inside Rikers Island. People would knock on the door and say, “Help. That was a horror. He said, “Frankly, it’s your interventions that make this place manageable.”. Mary Buser: That’s a really good question, and it points to the tragedy of having people leave correctional institutions worse than when they arrived. During a search, he was devastated when his glasses were taken from him. It’s everything to me. FOUNDER, JUSTLEADERSHIPUSA. MB: They are compromised. I think it’s wrong. How could we put someone like him on Rikers Island? The city's Board of Correction began pushing to release thousands of inmates as soon as possible in mid-March, even before Tyson's death. Helen Redmond: How do you square this: If you don’t come to Rikers Island with a psychiatric diagnosis you will probably leave with one? And I learned that people. ... Rikers Island is not a prison. We see aftermath of violence, different units, a drug search in one of the prison units, judge visits etc. I kept everything very milquetoast. I was in general population, I did some time in solitary confinement — I was basically in every unit you … "Communication with those inside the walls makes it obvious that these procedures are not the lived reality.". And looking to save lives," de Blasio said. I saw this with men, too. , and speaks and lectures against the carceral state and solitary confinement. That is what held the whole place together. "We're the epicenter of the epicenter.". Lockdown on Rikers is an explication of how people with the best of intentions inside correctional institutions try to help the most vulnerable. But there's not enough," Reyes told CNN. The United Nations equates more than 15 days in solitary confinement with torture. An NYPD official told CNN the department voiced concerns about inmates with violent backgrounds that the city wanted to release that, but that its concerns weren't listened to. And all of my preconceived notions about our legal system started going out the window. Because you are a guest in their house and they know they are not supposed to be doing that, but there was nothing to stop them. "We hear a very different story," Forrester said during the public meeting Tuesday, which conducted via video conferencing. 38 % of cases in NYC have bail set at $1,000 or less. The grounds were perfect for military training, and the 9th New York Infantry used it … Among those moving in and out of jails are more than 11,000 Department of Correction employees. As a Cop, I Know Police Contempt for Drug Users Is Still Widespread—And It Comes From the Top, With the Focus on Opioids, Don’t Forget About Meth and Cocaine, Virginia Court Decides Homeless “Habitual Drunkards” Don’t Deserve Due Process. But I would not proceed if I felt that the conversation could be overheard. And when he got arrested for stealing his wife said, “We should have just let the baby pee on the floor. But Claudia Forrester, a jail services advocate with Brooklyn Defender Services, said she continues to get calls from inmates claiming they don't have access to supplies they need to keep themselves safe during the pandemic. A 2013 report by Mother Jones ranked Rikers Island as one of the ten worst correctional facilities in the US. "It was inevitable that coronavirus was going to get to Rikers, and once it did, it would be a complete disaster. Vidal Guzman was 16 years old when he entered Rikers Island jail for the first time. With Jon Alpert, Jackie, Jimmy Mirabel, Miguel 'Chino' Santiago. New York officials worried that the city’s notorious jail system on Rikers Island could become a powder keg inside the epicenter of the pandemic. Officials encourage detainees to wear masks and practice social distancing, Thorne told CNN, but "we cannot force people in custody to comply.". One can see its sprawling compound on certain flights out, but for most people, no thought is given to what goes on behind the walls; the lives that are shuffled through while awaiting sentencing, the various insufferable horrors that are committed and sometimes documented in local … "If I don't have gloves and I'm touching all this stuff I still have to do my job either way.". I met with Mary Buser at her studio apartment in downtown Brooklyn, and she was as friendly and warm as her dog, Cha Cha, who sat in on the interview. It's just not built that way," said Caitlin Miller, an attorney with Legal Aid Society's parole revocation defense unit. It once housed more than 20,000. Rikers Island, the New York City jail complex that houses about 9,800 inmates, is one of the largest in the United States. Department of Correction officials said Tuesday they began giving masks to all people in custody on April 3, plus cleaning supplies and soap for free. I think we are in very sad shape ethically. But inmates are not allowed to use alcohol-based hand sanitizer, which the CDC recommends for preventing spread of the virus, as it is considered contraband by the Department of Correction because it is flammable. Kelsey De Avila, a social worker with Brooklyn Defender Services who normally visits inmates on Rikers Island, tries to do video visits with her clients, but it takes weeks to get a spot, she said. Acknowledge that 15 days is torture. We had a saying, “If they didn’t have a mental health issue before they entered solitary, they do now.” The relationship between civilians and correction staff was always a little tense, [but] here the deputy warden in charge couldn’t have been more welcoming. MB: I’m a member of Social Workers Against Solitary Confinement. By CNN.com Wire Service May 16, 2020 at 12:14 p.m. ", Law enforcement officials say releasing inmates to curtail a public health crisis behind bars has increased the risk of crime, with the New York Police Department reporting about 150 people released from Rikers. MB: We had a waiting list for people to get into solitary confinement. Then confidentiality was compromised. HR: One of the things you say throughout the book is that it’s astonishing how much time people get for drug-related crimes. The “opioid crisis” has dominated drug conversations for at least the past decade, while ... Not even Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, once referred to as “Wall ... . The calls are free, but the phones -- shared by all inmates in his unit -- are a few feet apart. "You know, we'll be fluid and adapt to conditions as more people start coming out. On April 5, Michael Tyson, who was incarcerated on Rikers Island but was being treated for coronavirus by Correctional Health Services at a hospital, became the first inmate on Rikers Island to die from complications of the virus. But positive cases of coronavirus among correctional staff continue to increase. But by the time I wound up on the “bing” where my profession calls upon me to uphold the dignity of human life and I’m looking at someone who is now babbling incoherently, I’m working on treating him, assessing suicide risk, it’s a real dilemma. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said Tuesday he was disappointed with those who have allegedly committed new crimes since being released from Rikers Island. It’s everything to me. It was during the time that Giuliani was mayor. The jail is full of poor people with mental health and drug problems, homeless people, and survivors of trauma and gang violence. When I came back I had an awareness that I didn’t have as a student. MB: It’s utterly disproportionate. Like so many, I wanted to make a difference and I felt like I was. The, I said, “Hang on, just look at me. I can’t do that. Should social workers refuse to work in these correctional settings when our Code of Ethics, as I understand it, is so compromised? Husamudeen said his union and others that represent jail workers have sued the city twice to get more protective equipment for workers, among other issues. He’s the only one that comes to mind who didn’t have a drug problem. Three years later, solitary confinement, beatings, never the same. Those recommended for release were on Rikers Island on a pretrial basis, meaning they had not been convicted of crimes, were serving city sentences of 1 year or less, or were there because of state parole holds, board member Dr. Bobby Cohen told CNN. It was a tough situation because Legal Aid, rightly so, said this is a breach of confidentiality. Helen is the senior editor of Filter. In the weeks since, correctional officials handed out masks. It was during the time that Giuliani was mayor. In social settings, my mind would drift to a horror scene in the jail. I’m not high right now, I will be getting high, I have this window right now. Worse—and that’s all wrong. Correction officers tell CNN that their jobs have become more unsafe because of the virus. During the Civil War, Rikers Island served as a military training facility. Everything is computerized and you need a password to get into any chart, and there is a footprint of everyone who accesses the chart. Since all in-person visits to Rikers Island were suspended on March 18, phones are the only way inmates can ask for help from those the outside. [Then] they could claim an injury and get time off. 89 % of the detainees in NYC jails cannot afford to post bail at arraignment. You are going to wait about half an hour for the escort to get somebody downstairs and then go through it in reverse. Most people held at Rikers Island are awaiting trial. I was so discouraged. HR: Can you tell me about STEP, the program for people with drug addictions at Rikers Island? The Debate Around America’s Outlier Status, Nicotine 101: The Truth About What It Is and What it Does, Booty-Bumping Meth: Harm Reduction for an Under-Discussed Practice, Here’s What a Legal Market for Cocaine Could Look Like, COVID and Vaping: A Perfect Storm of Misleading Science and Media. She was getting preferential treatment, but at what cost? You know, we'll probably see crime rates ebb and flow in different areas, and we'll be ready to respond accordingly," NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea said this week. But be aware going in that there are going to be a lot of ethical challenges. When I met him he was counting potato chips to see if there was the right amount in the bag. "The most important intervention was a concerted effort at depopulation, which allowed us, I think, to do much better than many systems around the country despite having a broader epidemic that was more severe than anywhere in the country.". The Captain of the clinic was reading through the charts like a newspaper. As an employee of the jail or prison you have to pay rent, put food on the table. Some people never got stabilized enough to go back to general population. Acknowledge that 15 days is torture. HR: How are social work ethics and values challenged when you work in solitary confinement? Do you have enough to read? ‘, They bang and slap the doors, sweaty palms sliding down the windows. I don’t believe that this practice could continue in its current form without the participation of health workers. "I'm disappointed in anyone who was shown mercy and turns around and commits an offense. On August 18, 2012, inmate Jason Echevarria swallowed a packet of powdered detergent, that had been given to inmates to clean out their cells, after there was a leakage of raw sewage from the toilets. MB: STEP is an acronym for Self-Taught Empowerment Pride. Now, when correction officers start shifts, they are asked questions about possible Covid-19 symptoms, get their temperatures checked and are given a mask. Instead, Buser became an advocate for prison reform on the outside. In the weeks since the city's first confirmed coronavirus case, inmates on Rikers said they've been using whatever they can get their hands on to protect themselves from Covid-19 behind bars. I never expected to be in a situation like that personally or professionally. Just think, a week from Tuesday you’ll be out and you and I are going to meet in the clinic and sit and talk.” I’d make a little pact with people, try to get them to hold on. There was a lot of pressure on me to maintain it, to keep people medicated. And there are many women I spoke with who said, “Jail saved my life.” Women who had mental health problems and used drugs. He had a very low IQ. As he crossed the bridge over to the island, a prison guard told him to "get ready for Gladiator School". Jail forced treatment and it was a time-out from the streets. When they didn't get masks from correctional staff, they improvised. But is it really possible to provide therapy if correctional officers are watching and listening? Most had a mental observation unit, a chief physician and a warden. I. it’s wrong. An awareness of the system, of bail, that people were innocent of the crimes they were charged with. Here's what life is like inside Rikers Island. One of the eight buildings on Rikers Island, the Eric M. Taylor Center, is now being used as a quarantine unit for 180 people who have coronavirus symptoms and those who have tested positive for the disease. The women would march through the halls and you’d hear “One, two, three, four!” It was very disciplined and focused. The jail is full of poor people with mental health and drug problems, homeless people, and survivors of trauma and gang violence. HR: Where is NASW in terms of a position on solitary confinement? I Recently Used Naloxone to Save a Life. Correctional Health Services data showed a decrease in positive cases starting in mid-April. So there was a big push to get them out of the cell, take them down to first floor where we could meet with them privately. It was typically a 50-bed facility. When I came back I had an awareness that I didn’t have as a student. And I started to see what these people were up against. more than 15 days in solitary confinement with torture. The CO would open the door so we could talk. MB: Go for it if this something that calls you. But that is highly likely. New York City has pledged to close down the troubled Rikers Island jail facility within the next few years. They increased cleaning. The Department of Corrections ran it, it wasn’t run by the Mental Health department. "The fact that there are defendants with domestic violence charges against them being released, where scrutiny is clearly not happening, that's positively alarming.". It’s horrendous for the most part. A former guard’s photos reveal a rare glimpse of “the box,” the notorious New York City jail’s solitary confinement cells. In social settings, my mind would drift to a horror scene in the jail while people were talking. Rikers Island's main building went up in 1932, and the facility now houses about 7,000 inmates. The City Council of New York voted 36-13 Thursday to approve a plan to close the city's notorious jail complex on Rikers Island by 2026 in favor of four smaller jails spread out across the city. The smell of vomit and feces hangs in the hot, thick air … I can see the inmates’ faces—dark-skinned, young—pressed up against the windows, eyes wild with panic. There were some beautiful moments but there was this growing anger anD the scales started to tip. Advocates and a watchdog agency for the jail system contend that while correction officers wear masks, inmates don't nearly as often. The warden told him, “You should no longer consider yourself safe in this jail.” That’s quite a statement for the warden to make and it means if there is a problem, the COs won’t come to your aid. I don’t know if any human being is. Limiting Access Is Unforgivable. I can’t compromise. And some of the people I’ve worked with have told me they felt safer in jail than out on the streets or in their homes. ‘Please miss, please,’ he whispers. Echevarria began vomiting and complaining of severe pain. "We are taking every precautionary measure to keep our personnel and people in custody safe," Peter Thorne, the top spokesman for the Department of Correction, the city agency that oversees Rikers, said in a statement to CNN when asked about unions' lawsuits. I thought my promotion to assistant chief was going to get me off the frontlines. Most people in solitary, 75 percent, were there for nonviolent offenses. How can they be talking about taking a vacation in Florida when we have this inhumanity of solitary confinement that no one understands the scope of? Rikers Island was named for the man who purchased the land in 1664, Abraham Rycken. It will take the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), the American Psychological Association (APA) to address this. [But] I got an op-ed published in the. This involved going to the receiving room, where buses were coming in with people, and accessing right there whether they should be placed in the mental observation unit. Inside New York's notorious Rikers Island jails, 'the epicenter of the epicenter' of the coronavirus pandemic. All workers began getting masks and gloves on April 3 at the start of each shift after unions sued the city for more protective equipment and testing. Terrence Pendergrass, the supervisor of the unit, was told by a correction officer of Echevarria's condition. We did have booths, there was plexiglass, and there was an officer on the other side and she was pretty decent. At Rikers that limit is routinely violated, despite recent reforms. Be aware of what’s going on on the outside. He called in sick from work toward the end of March and hasn't been back since, the employee said. The biggest case that points that out is Kalief Browder, who came in as a normal 16-year old kid accused of stealing a backpack. You had to make sure the meds didn’t break down. There was a lot of pressure on me to maintain it, to keep people medicated. But I was determined not to forget, and if it took me the rest of my life, I’m going to tell the story as best as I could. About a week after the first jail system employee died on March 15 from Covid-19, a correctional officer on Rikers Island began feeling symptoms -- a cough, headache and eventually a fever and trouble breathing, he said, speaking with CNN on the condition of anonymity because he fears losing his job.

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