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The Elusive Dream: Closing Rikers Island
Loaded on Nov. 6, 2017
by David Reutter, Matthew Clarke
published in Prison Legal News
November, 2017, page 32
Filed under:
Misconduct/Corruption,
Guard Misconduct,
Jail Misconduct,
Prison Reform,
Jail Specific.
Location:
New York.
by David M. Reutter and Matt Clarke
New York City’s Rikers Island, one of the nation’s largest jails, has a notorious history of violence – both by guards and prisoners. City leaders have long sought to solve the problem that Rikers poses, but resistance by local residents to …
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More from this issue:
- Five Years after Implementation, PREA Standards Remain Inadequate, by Derek Gilna
- Cook County Jail Locked Down on Mother’s Day; Over 200 Workers Absent, by Monte McCoin
- Supreme Court Declines to Hear Case on Jail Booking Fees, by Christopher Zoukis
- Prisoners in Flint, Michigan Lied to About Water Crisis; Lawsuit Settles, by David Reutter
- Michigan Court Forced to End “Pay or Stay” Policy, by David Reutter
- Seventh Circuit Allows Prisoner’s Eighth Amendment Claim to Proceed, by Christopher Zoukis
- Former Utah Jail Commander Pleads Guilty to Misuse of Public Money, by Monte McCoin
- Concern over Use of Prisoners to Clear Homeless Camps in Washington, Oregon, by Lonnie Burton
- Eighth Circuit Reverses Finding of Due Process Violations in Minnesota Civil Commitment Program, by Matthew Clarke
- Georgia Prison Contraband Investigation Nets 130 Arrests, Guilty Pleas, by David Reutter
- Missouri Has Difficulty Retaining Provider for Execution Drugs, by David Reutter
- $6.5 Million to Family of Wash. Diabetic Prisoner Who Died
- Wife of President Trump’s Ethics Attorney Caught Having Sex with Prisoner, by Monte McCoin
- Lawsuit Over 22 Years of Continuous Segregation Reinstated by Second Circuit, by Lonnie Burton
- $100,000 Damages Award in Jail Slip-and-Fall Upheld, by Matthew Clarke
- $250,000 Paid By Virginia Jail to Settle Deaf Prisoner Suit
- Obama Publishes Commentary on Criminal Justice Reform in Harvard Law Review, by Christopher Zoukis
- Fourth Circuit Reverses Dismissal of Deaf Prisoner’s Civil Rights Claim, by Derek Gilna
- Oregon Prison Guard Freed on Sex Charge, Victim Detained as Material Witness
- $1.2 Million to Settle with Rikers Island Rape Victims, by Derek Gilna
- Former Sheriff Arpaio Guilty of Criminal Contempt, Receives Presidential Pardon, by Joe Watson
- Nevada Supreme Court Holds Habeas Petition Not Mooted by End of Sentence
- Westboro Baptist Church Members Continue to Work in Corrections, by Matthew Clarke
- Colorado Narrowly Rejects Ballot Measure to End Slavery as Punishment for Crime, by Matthew Clarke
- Community Funds, Federal Legislation Challenging Bail System from Different Angles, by Christopher Zoukis
- Lawsuit Alleges Four Oregon Prisons Served Food “Not for Human Consumption”, by Monte McCoin
- DOJ Applauds Pennsylvania’s Commitment to Treatment for Mentally Ill Prisoners, by David Reutter
- The Elusive Dream: Closing Rikers Island, by David Reutter, Matthew Clarke
- Washington Supreme Court Reverses Prisoner’s Parental Termination Order, by Lonnie Burton
- Wiccan Prisoner Wins Injunction to Wear Medallion; Case Settles on Remand, by David Reutter
- Michigan Sheriff Settles PLN Censorship Suit for $295,000, by Derek Gilna
- Alabama DOC: Partial Settlement on ADA, Mental Health Claims; $1 Million in Attorney Fees Awarded, by David Reutter
- Florida Prisoners Denied Hernia Surgery Reach $2.1 Million Settlement, by David Reutter
- Arrested Texas Jail Nurse Refused to Test Blood Sugar of Prisoner Who Died, by Matthew Clarke
- Tenth Circuit Holds Jail Guard May be Liable for Prisoner-on-Prisoner Assault
- President of New York City Guards’ Union Faces Corruption Charges, by David Reutter
- Federal Halfway House Closures Threaten to Extend Prison Time, Delay Reentry, by Derek Gilna
- Reform of Florida’s Criminal Justice Laws Urged, by David Reutter
- Climate Refugees in Toxic Immigrant Jails Are Victims of Environmental Racism, by Candice Bernd
- Fatal Tasering at North Carolina Jail Results in $350,000 Settlement, Investigation
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- $285,000 Settlement in Wrongful Death Suit Against Ohio Jail
- Global Tel*Link Fails to Derail Prison Phone Suit but Dodges Class Certification, by Derek Gilna
- News in Brief
More from David Reutter:
- Eight Circuit Reverses Denial of Partial Qualified Immunity in Detainee’s Pepper Ball Claim, Remands Excessive Force Claims, Sept. 1, 2026
- Nevada Prisoners, Families Call Out Predatory Tablet Program, Sept. 1, 2026
- Fourth Circuit: Error in Granting Judgment Prior to Adjudging Spoliation Motion, Sept. 1, 2026
- Fourth Circuit Affirms Qualified Immunity in Strip Searches Resulting from Anonymous Tips, Sept. 1, 2026
- Tenth Circuit: Colorado Governor Unentitled to Eleventh Amendment Immunity on Claim Related to DOC Religious Policies, Aug. 1, 2026
- Michigan Appeals Court: Witnesses Cannot be Forced to Wear Jail Clothes at Trial, Aug. 1, 2026
- Sixth Circuit Affirms Denial of State-Law Qualified Immunity in Scabies Case, Aug. 1, 2026
- Fourth Circuit Revives Disabled Prisoner’s Claim for Denial of Out-of-Cell Exercise Time, Aug. 1, 2026
- Sixth Circuit Announces State-Law Exceptions to Appeal Deadlines Preserve “Pending” Status Under AEDPA, Holding Belated-Appeal Procedures Toll Federal Habeas Limitations Period, April 1, 2026
- Florida Supreme Court Announces Rule 3.170(f)’s Good-Cause Plea-Withdrawal Standard Does Not Apply at Post-Appeal Resentencing, April 1, 2026
More from Matthew Clarke:
- Eleventh Circuit Reinstates Alabama Prisoner’s Excessive Prison Violence Claim, Oct. 1, 2026
- Eleventh Circuit Upholds Most of Relief Ordered in Class-Action Lawsuit Challenging Unconstitutionally Inadequate Mental Health Care in Alabama Prisons, Oct. 1, 2026
- Fourth Circuit Upholds Denial of Qualified Immunity to Jail Supervisors Who Ignored Detainee’s Cranial Abscesses, Oct. 1, 2026
- Eighth Circuit Reverses District Court’s Denial of Motion to Dismiss Some Defendants from Lawsuit Over Missouri Prisoner’s Suicide, Oct. 1, 2026
- Eighth Circuit Grants Summary Judgment to Sheriff and County of Nebraska Jail Where Guard Sexually Assaulted Female Prisoner, Oct. 1, 2026
- Federal Court Orders Texas to Admit Incompetent Jailed Defendants to Mental Health Facilities Within 21 Days, Oct. 1, 2026
- Seventh Circuit Grants Qualified Immunity to Detectives Who Revealed Prisoner Was Informant, Denies Him Anonymity, Aug. 1, 2026
- Seventh Circuit Holds Federal Law Prohibits County Jail from Forcing Immigration Detainees to Perform Custodial Labor by Threatening Solitary Confinement, Aug. 1, 2026
- New Mexico Supreme Court Holds Corrections Department Regulations Do Not Exempt Use-Of-Force Documents from Public Records Disclosure, Aug. 1, 2026
- DOJ Issues Memorandum Over BOP Employees Abusing Their Law Enforcement Credentials to Illegally Purchase Personal Firearms, Aug. 1, 2026
More from these topics:
- L.A. County Begins Making Nearly $5 Billion in Payouts to Survivors of Sex Abuse in Juvenile Detention, Sept. 1, 2026. Sexual Assault, Staff-Prisoner Assault, Prisoner-Prisoner Assault, Guard Misconduct, Jail Misconduct, Settlements, Juvenile Offenses/Offenders.
- Wave of Staff Arrests Exposes Persistent Misconduct at South Carolina Jail, Sept. 1, 2026. Staff-Prisoner Assault, Guard Misconduct, Jail Misconduct, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Obstruction of Justice.
- Four Massachusetts Guards Face Charges for Assault on Prisoners During Brawl, Sept. 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, Guard Brutality/Beatings.
- Report Highlights Repeated Overdoses at Florida County Jail, Sept. 1, 2026. Corrections Corporation of America/CoreCivic, Contractor Misconduct, Jail Misconduct, Drug Overdose.
- Last of 11 Guards Sentenced in Death of New York Prisoner, Sept. 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Excessive Force (Wrongful Death), False Statements/Perjury, Obstruction of Justice.
- California Grand Jury Report on Deaths at Riverside County Jails, Sept. 1, 2026. Jail Misconduct, Corrections Audits, Prison Reform, Statistics/Trends, Public Records.
- Warden Out, Nineteen Guards Administratively Charged in Maryland Prisoner’s Death, Aug. 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, Prison/Jail Murders, Failure to Protect (Wrongful Death), Failure to Protect (Staff).
- At Least Three Guards Charged for Assaulting Two Massachusetts Prisoners, Aug. 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Assaults on Staff, Wrongful Use of Force.
- Three Detainees Die in Four Days at the Tarrant County Jail, Aug. 1, 2026. Jail Misconduct, Statistics/Trends, Wrongful Death, Compassionate Release.
- Jail Oversight Body Stalled by New York Governor, Aug. 1, 2026. Government Misconduct, Corrections Audits, Prison Reform, Public Records, State Legislation.

