Smaller, Safer, Fairer: A Roadmap to Closing Rikers Island

Culture matters

The culture inside jails can determine whether they are places of despair or places of hope. Educational and therapeutic programming – instead of idle isolation – can reduce violence and the likelihood that incarcerated people will return to jail in the future. Professional development opportunities for staff can support them to serve the public at the highest levels of integrity. Below are success stories from a culture already beginning to change.

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  Officer Michael Bernstein

  A corrections officer at Rikers, Officer Michael Bernstein has seen dramatic improvements since the City recently opened dedicated housing units for individuals with serious mental illness. 

  Officer Bernstein remembers the minimal officer training and medical services available for incarcerated individuals suffering from mental health problems when he began working at Rikers in 2004. Back then, most individuals struggled with medicine compliance, and would cycle constantly between the hospital and jail, dealing with spouts of aggression.

  Since dedicated mental health units opened on Rikers Island in 2013, however, Officer Bernstein has witnessed remarkable improvements: nearly 100% medicine compliance and significantly reduced acts of aggression and violence. Officer Bernstein attributes these successes to the sense of calm and community among officers, mental health professionals, and incarcerated individuals in these units. Incarcerated individuals have their own living space, individual therapy sessions, and group meetings without the punitive aspect of segregation. He also sees that violence has been reduced due to the mental health and de-escalation training new correction officers receive.

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  Mr. B.

  Mr. B participated in one of the City’s reentry programs, which aim to reduce recidivism by supporting people who are at the highest risk for re-incarceration to successfully reintegrate into their families and communities.

  Mr. B had cycled through the criminal justice system for many years—he estimates that he had spent at least half his life behind bars by the time he met Anthony Diaz from the Osborne Association, a non-profit organization that partners with the City to provide reentry services. He remembers the day well, just over a year ago, when Anthony stopped him out on the yard at Rikers, shook his hand, looked him in the eye, and asked him to join their meeting. Mr. B went and was impressed by how Anthony spoke to him. He signed up for a trade program for custodial maintenance and has been involved with the City’s reentry program that provides support both before and after release ever since.

  After his release, Osborne helped Mr. B secure supportive housing, find work, and connect to continued mental health treatment. He was hired on the spot for two jobs, and now works for a state agency, as well as behind the scenes at a theatre in Harlem.

  Mr. B currently spends five days a week at Osborne—going to meetings, checking in with his counselors, leading peer groups, fulfilling his duties as the president of the Osborne Alumni Association, and connecting with the people he credits for keeping him positive. He says that he loves being able to walk down the street in his community and be idolized as a clean, sober, positive role model. Reflecting on his personal journey, Mr. B explains, “I don’t forget where I came from. I just ask for forgiveness. Every day I ask for forgiveness. Every fiber in my body is working for that.”

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  Jamaal Anderson

  Jamaal was a recent participant in the City’s Supervised Release program, which allowed him to wait for trial at home instead of in jail, while connecting him to support services and a committed case worker.

  When Jamaal was brought to court on a nonviolent felony charge last year, he assumed, given his criminal history, that he would be held in jail pretrial. However, at arraignment, his defense attorney suggested the Supervised Release program as an alternative to detention, and the judge agreed.

  Jamaal was able to remain at home with his family and continue working while awaiting trial, as long as he regularly kept in touch with his case worker, John, from Bronx Community Solutions, and checked in with the court. After a few months, Jamaal successfully completed his Supervised Release program, and his felony charge was ultimately reduced to a misdemeanor, which did not require any jail time. Jamaal now does maintenance work for a national non-profit organization.

  Jamaal says that before his participation in the Supervised Release program, he always had “dead-end jobs,” but was supported to “do a lot better than what I was doing.” The Supervised Release program has made an enormous difference in Jamaal’s life. In Jamaal’s own words, “I’m just grateful that the program exists, and even more grateful that John is in it. Without it, I don’t know where I’d be right now.”

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  Dr. Nichole Adams

  Deputy Commissioner Dr. Nichole Adams is committed to reducing reliance on punitive segregation and more effectively and compassionately engaging with individuals with mental health needs at Rikers.

  In 2013, city medical professionals and correction officers created the Clinical Alternative to Punitive Segregation (CAPS) program. The goal was to create a safer and fairer environment for both staff and incarcerated individuals by replacing punitive segregation with a more therapeutic approach for those with mental illness. The success of CAPS led to the creation of the Program to Accelerate Clinical Effectiveness (PACE), which proactively identifies high-risk individuals who would benefit from therapeutic intervention rather than waiting for them to engage in violent behavior. Individuals in CAPS and PACE units are offered individual and group sessions, art therapy, medical counseling, and a strong community atmosphere.

  Deputy Commissioner Adams credits the success of CAPS and PACE—which have substantially reduced the use of force by incarcerated individuals and violence against staff members—to the teams of clinicians and trained correction officers who work together closely every day to ensure successful interactions with incarcerated individuals. She explains that “training helps understand the reality of mental illness. Seeing how the therapeutic model works is the strongest evidence for staff buy-in.”

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