Heightened Suffering, Dwindling Supplies: Meeting the Crisis at Rikers
The word “crisis” often refers to someone’s suffering. Now, think about the staff crisis on Rikers Island. The first question that comes to mind is: Who here is in pain?
During 2021, some 2,200 Correction Department staff members on Rikers Island were affected by Covid-19. They could not work, with the result that, by last fall, services provided to detainees had dwindled almost to the point of nonexistence. Some relief only came when the City contracted with service providers like Exodus Transitional Community Inc. – which I am part of – to fill the gap. Exodus manages seven hotels that house people being released from Rikers Island who are homeless. (In an Urban Matters last November, I described what we’ve been doing to help detainees at Rikers in recent months.)
We’ve gone there because the detainees are facing a crisis – on a range of levels – caused by the staffing collapse. At Rikers, it’s standard operating procedure, for security reasons, to keep a close lid on information about staff scheduling. So, although detainees noticed the growing gaps in staffing, no one gave them any official information. On a day-to-day basis, the effect was mass confusion for them – as well as concerns about surviving with less security staff.
Also, under normal circumstances, detainees use the programming time, activities, and expected daily routine to help them cope with the stresses of being confined on Rikers. Without any information or programs like school, social services, substance abuse programs, or access to the law library, detainees had to fill their time on their own, in an increasingly anxious and deteriorating atmosphere.
It was deteriorating because at the same time that staffing crashed, basic supplies for inmates also began running low. Last fall, several politicians and community leaders took a tour of Rikers Island and described the experience as shocking. Among this group were formerly incarcerated people who were just as shocked. One of the details that made the trip shocking is that several detainees described the horror of not having, or having to fight for, toilet paper.
The press conferences that followed brought attention. Fortunately for the detainees, this group of people were in positions to do something about their overall morale, if not the staff crisis itself. Julio Medina, Exodus’s founder and CEO, was one of the community leaders on that tour, because he was already in negotiations with the mayor’s office to have his organization provide services on Rikers. Medina immediately let Correction officials know that Exodus could also provide materials along with programs. He was given permission to supply Rikers Island detainees with a “care package” for every person detained on the island.
Exodus sent out a call for help and the community responded. Through our network of supporters, the intention was to supply 6,000 care packages that consisted of masks, hand sanitizer, toiletries, bottled water, books (mostly Bibles), snacks, clothing and feminine hygiene products for women detainees, and yes, toilet paper. Churches, community organizations, and private donors from all over the city pitched in. The people coordinating this herculean effort include Exodus board member Michael Luciano and Pastor Jose Humphreys.
As the time drew near to start the delivery process, people were excited about being able to help in such a tangible way. And thanks to their efforts supplies eventually got to the people for whom they were meant, who were pleased to receive the care packages during the holidays. Once again, the people accused of a crime are fortunate that certain people and organizations have the ear of policy makers.
And as to toilet paper: The day before Exodus was to start passing out care packages, Correction officers were seen transporting huge crates of toilet paper to various areas. Rikers officials informed all involved that they had found some supplies in a warehouse – overlooked because of everything else as things at Rikers unwound last fall.
Now, the accused men and women on Rikers have enough toilet paper. They’ve also got the services and programs Exodus provides. Let's hope this partnership continues in the new year, and new administration, to help the people in New York City whose voices have been silenced by poverty and who wind up on Rikers Island.