thecity.nyc/2022/8/15/2330…

Back in December, I made a sobering prediction: If a judge doesn't soon seize control of Rikers, "needless human suffering, even death" will persist. Turns out, sadly, I was right. Today, 9 months later, 14 people have died preventable deaths. nydailynews.com/opinion/ny-ope…

16 people had died by Sept. 2022, as many as died in all of 2021 — raising the possibility that this year might become New York City Department of Correction's deadliest since 2013, when 2x as many people were being held in the jail system. The The New York Times tracker has been updated: nytimes.com/article/rikers…

A judge set $40k bail on Erick Tavira's case, meaning that if he was wealthy enough to pay bail, Tavira would be alive today. We still have two systems of justice. And one system kills legally innocent people for not having money.

PSA: ALL INCARCERATION IS FOR-PROFIT Not just private jails and prisons. Bail fees, court fees, property seizures, service contracts, monitoring services, slave labor—private or public, profit is embedded. It’s the reason the U.S. has the world’s highest incarceration rate $$$

The Constitution & New York law give people accused of crime “the right to a speedy trial.” Yet 100 people on Rikers Island — a pre-trial detention facility, a place meant to *temporarily* hold the accused until their trial — have been locked up for 4 to 10 years. Staggering.

Yesterday, Rikers Island killed an 18th person this year. Today, ~6,000 people remain trapped amidst the same deadly conditions. 26 year old Gilberto Garcia had awaited trial for 3 years; 80% of people detained at the jail haven’t been convicted of a crime. #CLOSErikers

I’m proud to represent the Garcia family and grateful for the community advocates who came together to get this absurd ban lifted. But this story by Nick Pinto is representative of the abusive & capricious DOC visitation system—it’s a feature not a bug. hellgatenyc.com/garcia-brother…

CW: State violence Corrections staff ignored Herminio Villanueva as he lay dying on RIkers Island, leading other people detained in his housing unit to carry him to the clinic, where they were refused entry. They carried him back to their unit where he died half an hour later.

It has gotten almost no attention that ICE is creating a degrading, terrifying, & life-destabilizing circus at the NYC field office—scheduling 100s or 1000s of check-ins daily, turning most people away, telling them to queue by 4 AM or overnight, etc. gothamist.com/news/for-nyc-m…

Another person has died on Rikers Island, now the 19th this year alone. Edgardo Mejia was accused of stealing perfume. Now he’s dead. The gall it takes for DAs to continue asking for bail, and judges setting it. Blood is on their hands.

So much of mass incarceration relies on the invisibility of incarcerated people to society. We warehouse poor black & brown people, mentally ill people, people w addictions, in disgusting cages, & call it “justice.” Out of sight, out of mind.

Kids at Angola have been locked in their cells for days, only allowed to leave to shower, according to a teen who was held at the former death row unit. The power often goes out when it rains. When it's cold, there's no hot water. My latest for The Appeal. theappeal.org/angola-prison-…

Deaths in prisons more than doubled in some states during the first wave of the pandemic. Covid drove the spike, but so did suicide and violence. nytimes.com/2023/02/19/us/…

Exciting new report from FWD.us! Justice, Safety, and Prosperity: New York’s Bail Reform Success Story. In short - Bail reform has been ASTOUNDINGLY SUCCESSFUL for New York families. fwd.us/news/new-york-…

When we talk about Rikers and bail and crime and incarceration, fear dominates the conversation, so since I visited Rikers today here are some facts. Because we in the assembly are supposed to legislate based on facts, not fear-mongering and lies

🚨Opportunity for early-career / freelance investigative reporters! New York Focus is seeking a reporting assistant for a document-based investigation into county jails. 🧵 of details:

For anyone who cares about the many human beings locked in cages in America, this ritual is a painful one. There's a backlog of more than 17,000 federal clemency petitions waiting on Pres Biden to act. His clemency grant record is abysmal. But, sure, focus on two turkeys.

Help stop the "silent rollback" of bail reform by helping ensure judges follow the law and families are no longer mistreated. Become a volunteer with PSB Family Advocates. sites.google.com/view/psbfamily…