The Q100 bus is one of the few ways to get in and out of Rikers Island, New York's largest correctional facility. During the pandemic, advocates say, the jail has descended into chaos. Salvador Espinoza for NPR hide caption
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A view of the entrance to Rikers Island penitentiary complex. Emmanuel Dunand/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
'You Just Get Written Off': One Inmate On Life On Rikers During The Pandemic
The Rikers Island jail complex in New York with the Manhattan skyline in the background. New York City lawmakers voted on Thursday to close the notorious jail complex. Seth Wenig/AP hide caption
Dr. Homer Venters, the former head of New York City's correctional health services, says that inmates held in solitary confinement cells, such as the Rikers Island cell shown above, have a higher risk of committing self-harm. Bebeto Matthews/AP hide caption
Former Physician At Rikers Island Exposes Health Risks Of Incarceration
New York City officials on Thursday announced a $3.3 million settlement with the family of Kalief Browder, who died by suicide after spending nearly three years in Rikers Island, most of it in solitary confinement. Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images hide caption
A security fence surrounds the inmate housing on New York's Rikers Island correctional facility in New York. Bebeto Matthews/AP hide caption
Corrections officers at the Rikers Island jail complex in New York. The City of New York will pay up to $5 million in the settlement of a class action lawsuit. Seth Wenig/AP hide caption
People walk by a sign at the entrance to Rikers Island on March 31, 2017. New York cITY Mayor Bill de Blasio has said that he agrees with the fundamentals of a plan to close the jail complex within 10 years. Spencer Platt/Getty Images hide caption
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Friday that he's developing a plan to shut down the Rikers Island jail complex, seen in 2014. Seth Wenig/AP hide caption
A confederacy of prison reform activists rallied at City Hall in New York City to demand that it close the long-controversial Rikers Island Corrections facility where, among others, Kalief Browder, died; critics maintain that the prison is unsafe and prolonged detention of inmates at the facility is a violation of Constitutional due process rights. Albin Lohr-Jones/Getty Images hide caption
Savannah Phelan, 8, and her mom, Kellie, in front of a 77-foot mural they helped paint, which reflects the experiences of children and teenagers affected by incarceration. Emily Martinez for StoryCorps hide caption
Born In Custody, A Girl Finds Answers With Someone Who Knows Best: Mom
Three Rikers corrections officers — Alfred Rivera (left), Tobias Parker (center) and Jeffrey Richard (second from right) — arrive at court in March. Rivera and Parker were among the five officers convicted, while Richard was found not guilty. Kena Betancur/AFP/Getty Images hide caption
Jamal Faison (right) with his uncle, Born Blackwell, at StoryCorps in New York City. StoryCorps hide caption
The Associated Press reports that 14 percent of criminal defendants are held on bail in New York City. Kathy Willens/AP hide caption