Death Penalty News

Two weeks ago today, Solitary Watch and the Unlock the Box campaign published Calculating Torture , a report showing that at least 122,840 people are in solitary confinement in U.S. prisons and jails.  Ours is the first report to provide a snapshot of all individuals in solitary confinement for 22 hours or more a day in all U.S. state and federal prisons and local jails, based on the best available data. Previous counts of people in solitary have been significantly lower largely because they have been less complete, counting only people in prisons (not jails), and in some cases, only those held in solitary for 15 days or more. 

The COVID-19 infection rate in NYC jails is 87 times higher than the overall U.S. rate, and prisoners have no way to protect themselves. Junior Wilson is worried the coronavirus could kill him. The 57-year-old relies on a pacemaker to keep his heartbeat regular and could have trouble breathing if he catches the virus. But unlike many Americans, he can’t isolate himself or disinfect his hands with sanitizer. For the past seven months, he’s been held on Rikers Island for a parole violation, in an infirmary unit filled with people who have health issues.  Wilson says he sleeps in a bed a few feet away from men who are constantly sneezing and coughing and that new people are arriving on his floor every day. Nobody is removed unless they test positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, giving the virus plenty of time to spread before the results come in, according to Wilson.  On Wednesday, Wilson developed a cough, sore muscles and diarrhea ― sympto...

Rikers Island “We are not evacuating Rikers Island,” Mayor Michael Bloomberg said in a news conference this afternoon. Bloomberg annouced a host  of extreme measures being taken by New York City in preparation for the arrival of Hurricane Irene, including a shutdown of the public transit system and the unprecedented mandatory evacuation of some 250,000 people from low-lying areas. But in response to a reporter’s question, the mayor stated in no uncertain terms (and with more than a hint of annoyance) that one group of New Yorkers on vulnerable ground will be staying put. New York City is surrounded by small islands and barrier beaches, and a glance at the city’s evacuation map  reveals all of them to be in Zone A (already under a mandatory evacuation order) or Zone B–all, that is, save one. Rikers Island, which lies in the waters between Queens and the Bronx, is not highlighted at all, meaning it is not to be evacuated ...