“The Media Emboldens a Police State”: A conversation with movement lawyer Olayemi Olurin Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
Don’t Delay on Closing Rikers The city says COVID-19 budget constraints will set back its plans to close the jail but people incarcerated there are suffering from the disease right now. Jonathan Ben-Menachem
America’s Biggest City Was Hit Hard By COVID-19. Its Jails Are Filling Up Again New York City’s jail population is close to reaching pre-pandemic levels. Advocates say dishonest fearmongering about bail reform—and the politicians who capitulated to it—have created a very real safety crisis. Joshua Manson
How Prison Abolitionists Are Meeting The Moment The COVID-19 pandemic and nationwide protests over police brutality are strengthening the case against mass incarceration, advocates argue. Emily Nonko
An Update On What’s Happening Inside Rikers Island as Coronavirus Spreads “The doctors said they were going to come and do screenings every day, but for the past two days, they’ve just come into the dorm and stood by the front door and yelled, ‘Does anybody have any symptoms?’” Kim Kelly
Protesters Rally in Albany to Oppose Bail Reform Rollback Advocates, formerly incarcerated people, and lawmakers warned against overhauling the New York law before it has a chance to prove itself. Bryce Covert
Michael Bloomberg Should Apologize For More Than Stop-and-Frisk, Critics Say The billionaire and former New York City mayor defended the NYPD’s surveillance of Muslim Americans and mandatory minimum prison sentences for gun possession, among other policies. Aaron Morrison
Say No to New Jails in New York City The mayor claims that building new jails is the only safe way to close Rikers Island jail complex, but the City Council shouldn’t fall for this Faustian bargain. Jonathan Ben-Menachem
Epstein’s Death Reveals ‘Culture of Indifference’ in Jails The same culture exists across the country, experts say—with devastating effects. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg
‘We’ve Got One In The Sweep’ Three Bronx friends recount their 2012 arrests in the NYPD’s ‘Operation Crew Cut,’ along with their experiences with the court system and incarceration, and reflect on their lives seven years later. Olivia Heffernan
Decarceration Activist Janos Marton Launches Run For Manhattan D.A. An organizer in the effort to close New York City’s Rikers Island jails is challenging Cyrus Vance Jr., whom he calls ‘the city’s leading jailer.’ Aaron Morrison
Trans Woman’s Death in Rikers is Still a Mystery. But Why Was She There At All? Though little is known about how Layleen Polanco died, advocates say her story highlights New York City’s flawed approach to criminal justice. Raven Rakia
Incarceration Is Always a Policy Failure Instead of building ‘humane jails’ to replace Rikers Island, let’s push the NYPD to cut down on arrests. Jonathan Ben-Menachem
Here Are the Criminal Justice Issues Andrew Cuomo and Cynthia Nixon Should Debate From policing to parole, this election could be pivotal for reform. Emma Whitford
