The cycle of violence at Rikers Island is caused by an increase in the number of inmates. Inmates and guards have either died or been injured. Anything at the prison can be turned into a weapon. During a random cell search one inmate was found with a pole that was sharpened at the tip which could be used as a knife. As a form of protection, one inmate that was HIV positive used his disease as a weapon by biting another inmate on the arm. Not only are the guards assaulted at the prison, inmate also attack other staff members. For instance, a physician was attacked with a chair due to an inmate being annoyed at the wait time to see a doctor.
Another issue at Rikers Island is drug addiction. During a random cell search in the men’s …show more content…
When fights occur, the guards don’t try to the stop the fights due to fear of injuries. For example, a guard ended up getting punched in the face while trying to stop a fight. In other cases, the guards arrive too late which results in serious injuries for the inmates involved. The prison administration don’t know how to treat the inmates properly. The guards practice controlling aggressive inmates by using a real inmate to run towards them and wrestle them to the ground. The prison guards would strip search the inmates by checking their genital and anal area. Miguel an inmate who was caught with a weapon was stripped searched before sending him back to his cell.
Many prisoners return back to criminal behaviors after being released. Jackie an inmate who vowed to clean up after being released to provide for her family was back after 2 months for the same crime she committed that caused her to go to jail the first time. She stated “I did for my addiction what I would never do with my kids”. Not having the proper treatment in jail will usually lead them back to Rikers Island. Based on these events the prison system should provide proper care for the inmates. The lack of the inmate’s safety leads to the inmates to behave in a violent and aggressive way. Changing the way the prison is run the recidivism rates will
Another issue at Rikers Island is drug addiction. During a random cell search in the men’s …show more content…
When fights occur, the guards don’t try to the stop the fights due to fear of injuries. For example, a guard ended up getting punched in the face while trying to stop a fight. In other cases, the guards arrive too late which results in serious injuries for the inmates involved. The prison administration don’t know how to treat the inmates properly. The guards practice controlling aggressive inmates by using a real inmate to run towards them and wrestle them to the ground. The prison guards would strip search the inmates by checking their genital and anal area. Miguel an inmate who was caught with a weapon was stripped searched before sending him back to his cell.
Many prisoners return back to criminal behaviors after being released. Jackie an inmate who vowed to clean up after being released to provide for her family was back after 2 months for the same crime she committed that caused her to go to jail the first time. She stated “I did for my addiction what I would never do with my kids”. Not having the proper treatment in jail will usually lead them back to Rikers Island. Based on these events the prison system should provide proper care for the inmates. The lack of the inmate’s safety leads to the inmates to behave in a violent and aggressive way. Changing the way the prison is run the recidivism rates will