Rikers Island is home to some of the most notorious and violent jails in the world. It is located in the East River in New York City. The majority of its detainees have not yet been convicted of a crime and are either remanded in custody or held on bail.

Vidal Guzman is a former member of the East Coast Bloods. He was incarcerated on Rikers Island when he was 16 and returned when he was 19.

Guzman discusses the conditions inside the New York City jail complex. He mentions corrupt guards, gang-controlled phones, and how illegal goods are smuggled in. He speaks about the history of the US jail system, how Rikers Island came to be, and the need for reform. He also addresses myths about Rikers being a prison and who is incarcerated there.

Guzman is a prominent voice in the Close Rikers campaign and the executive director of America on Trial. He is the founder of the End Qualified Immunity in NY and #FixThe13thNY campaigns. He left the criminal justice system at 24 and started working with the food-truck initiative Drive Change before becoming a criminal justice campaigner.

Find him here: www.vidalguzman.org
And his Instagram: @Iamvidalguzman

00:00 - Intro
00:36 - The First Day
02:28 - The Program
05:19 - The Smuggling
07:03 - The Guards
09:00 - The Rivalries
10:56 - Gang Rules
12:24 - The Island
14:20 - The Cells
15:26 - The Decision
17:28 - The Policing
20:09 - The Backstory
21:40 - The Aftermath
24:03 - Credits

MORE HOW CRIME WORKS VIDEOS:
How Scam Call Centers Actually Work
   • How Call Center Scams Actually Work |...  
How 8 Crimes Actually Work (From Money Laundering To Prison Gangs)
   • How 8 Crimes Actually Work (From Mone...  
How Burglary Gangs Actually Work | How Crime Works
   • How Organized Burglary Rings Actually...  

------------------------------------------------------

#prison #howcrimeworks #insider

Insider is great journalism about what passionate people actually want to know. That’s everything from news to food, celebrity to science, politics to sports and all the rest. It’s smart. It’s fearless. It’s fun. We push the boundaries of digital storytelling. Our mission is to inform and inspire.

Visit our homepage for the top stories of the day: https://www.insider.com
Insider on Facebook:   / insider  
Insider on Instagram:   / insider  
Insider on Twitter:   / thisisinsider  
Insider on Snapchat:   / 2708030621  
Insider on TikTok:   / insider  

How Rikers Island Jail Actually Works | How Crime Works | Insider