"Rikers Island is a torture chamber. It's the worst place you could be." That's how Jovada recalls the notorious New York City jail complex where she was detained for two months.
Like so many others, Jovada was incarcerated under dangerous, filthy, and inhumane conditions because she and her family could not afford the cost of bail.
Rikers Island is an ongoing human rights crisis.
VOCAL-NY, a grassroots organization that seeks to end mass incarceration, is among the many groups fighting to end the suffering. Vera asked three leaders from VOCAL-NY to share what it's like to be incarcerated or to have a loved one incarcerated on Rikers Island. Take a moment to read their stories. |
Rikers Island jail complex has a long history of dangerous conditions for incarcerated people and staff, including frequent violence, inadequate health care, and persistent overcrowding.
More than 80 percent of the people confined there have not been convicted of a crime and endure horrific conditions as they await trial.
And Pamela, 12 people have died this year while in the New York City Department of Correction's custody.
These abuses at Rikers Island must end. With your help, Vera will keep advocating for the city to honor its commitment to closing Rikers Island and ensure that its systemic failures are not simply transferred to new jail facilities.
In solidarity,
Vera Institute of Justice
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