Despite Scrutiny, Rikers Island's 'Culture Of Violence' Persists, Report Says
The New York jail complex Rikers Island maintains a "culture of violence" among both inmates and staff, despite efforts to improve conditions at the storied correctional facility, according to a recent government report.
The court-mandated report said staff on the island "relish confrontation" with inmates, rather than avoid it. It described incidents such as a senior corrections officer using pepper spray on an inmate who was in restraints, and other incidents of unnecessarily kicking and stomping inmates.
Filed by an independent monitoring group, the report has fueled calls to shut down the jail complex because of its level of violence.
Rikers, a 400-acre island in the East River, serves as New York City's main jail complex, a warren of 10 distinct facilities managed by the New York City Department of Correction. The island also houses a bakery, firehouse, over 1,000 parking spaces and a power plant. The jail complex is
