Unless you have experienced it for yourself, it’s impossible to know what it is like to be incarcerated on Rikers Island. Imagine being detained pretrial because you simply cannot afford to post bail, which would let you fight your case while living in the community. That’s what it’s like for most incarcerated people on Rikers. Delays in the courts are rampant. Disconnection from your family and the outside is devastating. Despair is an understandable emotion fueled by an entrenched culture of violence, and a lack of access to medical care and outside recreation due to staff shortages.
Then someone walks into your housing area, and you hear that it’s time for programming. The staff from a nonprofit provider lets you know that your feelings are valid, and that your experiences and future matter. They work with you on conflict resolution, employment readiness, and discharge planning. The programs offer a bright spot in a bleak environment, a break from boredom, and hope for your life with your family and community after incarceration. Unfortunately, in just a few short weeks, these programs as you know them, and the staff you have bonded with, will be eliminated.
This is the harsh reality that people who are incarcerated at Rikers are facing. Nonprofits like ours – Osborne Association and The Fortune Society – were shocked to learn recently that the Department of Correction intends to cut $17 million in jail-based programs in response to Mayor Eric Adams’ executive budget. This short-sighted decision will erode the quality of programs, cause further harm and trauma to those incarcerated and their families and impact recidivism rates and community safety.
Every day, teams from our organizations and three other providers at Rikers work with approximately 1,700 people through these non-mandated services, keeping people engaged in healing processes and skills-building activities.
DOC says it intends to take over these programs themselves. As former members of leadership at DOC, we know first-hand that this is a completely unrealistic plan. DOC does not have the expertise or cultural competence to perform the same functions as our professionals. Many of our staff members have lived experience with the criminal legal system. They bring a compassionate and understanding perspective, which bolsters engagement and builds trust between staff and participants.