Conditions of confinement
Rikers Island's Inhumane Treatment and Conditions
People held in civil and Family Court proceedings are sent to the same jail complex as people held on criminal charges. This page sets out what the campaign is documenting.
What the campaign is documenting
A civil commitment is not a criminal sentence. It is meant to be coercive, not punitive — and it is supposed to end the moment the person can comply. The campaign is gathering firsthand accounts and records on the following:
- Access to medical and mental-health care
- Access to prescribed medication
- Length of time held before any further hearing
- Access to telephones and to counsel
- Contact with children and family
- Violence, extended lock-ins and staffing
- Loss of employment and housing while held
- Effect of confinement on the ability to pay the very obligation at issue
Firsthand descriptions
Descriptions of conditions appear inside each man's own account on his case page, in his own words, unedited. This page does not paraphrase them. Read the files to read what each man says.
If you were held at Rikers Island in a civil, Family Court or contempt proceeding, or you are a family member or attorney with firsthand knowledge, write to freetherikers7@gmail.com.