RIKERS ISLAND An American Jail: By Mr.Five Mualimm-ak - Bill Moyers - Brian Stevenson -

everytime i watch a prison documentary it reminds me how grateful I am

Will never forget a man in my college class told us he had spent 23 yrs behind bars & i was 22 yrs old. I was shocked he was away more than i have ever been alive i couldnt believe it. This man said good afternoon every single time he walked into class with the brightes smile & the confidence he carried was admjrable. When he told us his story his eyes got watery & he just looked so haopy to be with us he looked older than everybody in the class, hope he is doing good where ever he is❤

I’m reading these comments and now I realized why we live in the world we do. More than half of these young adults are innocent they are only guilty of being poor and a minority. These are 14 to 17 year old kids !!!! Kids !!!!! I pray for all their souls may God reach them 🤲🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽

So many missed a very important point about Riker’s….It’s a holding jail for detainees! None of the people were convicted of crimes. Can’t say things like “don’t do the crime” if there’s a chance the person didn’t commit a crime! Individuals need a speedier trial system. There’s no way people should be subjected to such torture while waiting for their fair trials! That’s a huge injustice!

I actually did 3 years on rikers and I can say that it’s literally hell on earth I pray to god that I never go back & im actually 6 years police contact free .....

Prisons need to seperate violent from non violent offenders,because those non violent offenders come out violent.The majority of arrests are because of drug posession.

I'm so glad I'm out of that life. It took me 5 trips to the penitentiary to get my life together. I spent 30 years on heroin. I wasn't a bad person. I just had a horrible addiction. I'm going on 6 years clean and all I do is work now. I like my life so much better now

It's been some years now and I want to thank all who have taken the time to watch this production .. so much more to come

i cant believe poor 16 yr old Korey Wise went through this... My heart breaks for him #whentheyseeus

To think that Kalief Browder and Korey Wise had to be incarcerated at 16 years old in that place of hell for something they did not do...this is a human tragedy!

I always thought it was awful how they drop people off in the middle of the night in Queens Plaza with a MetroCard and just abandon them. There should be some sort of outreach center for them to get some real food, a shower to wash off the prison smell, an item of clothing that they choose, even if it’s just a hat. Let them sleep there until morning and if they want, have someone go with them to their home. If they’ve got nobody and no home, get them in a program to transition to life on the outside. As a child we used to drive over the Throgs Neck Bridge and look down on Riker’s. Mom would make us say prayers for the prisoners. We thought it was weird. Nobody else’s Mom did that, but it’s a habit I maintain to this day although I don’t live in New York any more. I still have a few family out on Long Island and when I drive down or fly into LGA, I pray for the prisoners stuck in there. I like to think I’d never go to jail, but that’s presumption. We’re all capable of wrongdoing when pushed too hard. “There, but for the grace of God…” R.I.P. to the man who got shot right outside his building in Brooklyn. None of the people in this documentary seem “bad.” Most of them made bad choices or just fell into a life of crime because of how they grew up. A few were truly innocent and had to serve years anyway. The man who spoke about how hard it is to get a job, I’d hire him. Everyone deserves another chance if they are sincerely trying to do right.

My oldest brother straightened us out he spent 12years in prison in the60’s and the things he told us stuck that’s one experience I knew that life wasn’t for me I thank GOD that I listened every day.

RIKERS ISLAND is like a MENTAL CONCENTRATION CAMP. It's no place for a human being that is supposed to be locked up for a few months.

Imagine going through all of this for several years just waiting for your court date when you're legit for real innocent!! RIP Kahlif Browder.

I was arrested and put in a violent jail in Florida (Orient Road) for what was an ultimately a clerical error. Within a few minutes of being there someone threatened my life. Luckily my friends bailed me out. A clerk made a mistake and issued a warrant for my arrest. I did nothing wrong and was later cleared when I showed the judge a copy of a piece of paper that the clerk claimed I never filed. He admitted in court that he didn't see it because it was stuck to another piece of paper. There are innocent people in jail along with people who are supposed to be "innocent until proven guilty". To think I could have ended up getting hurt or killed or caught a real charge for defending myself makes me very angry. This is a JAIL, not a prison. People should be safe while they go to trial.

Being a correctional officer in a prison made me realize how tough these inmates live from the food to where they sleep. I pray to God I never jeopardize my freedom ever and end up inside.

I spent 19 1/2 years as a ward of the state. Foster Homes, other State Training Homes. I became a bully, stabbed, took foods and other criminal acts while in those homes. I got out and placed in Foster Care and graduated with honors from high school. I graduated from college and spent 8 years teaching in Europe. I retired from the Michigan Department of Corrections as a G.E.D. Teacher! This is the BEST DOCUMENTARY I have EVER seen!!! I've always heard that Rikers Island is the island and jail of death. I am so proud of those who made it out of Rikers Island and years of prison time to work with those in need. May our God continue to bless them (you) to reach one!!

Korey wise, "when they see us" brought me here 💔😔

I use to visit my father in Rikers in the 80's. I was a kid. All these years later, life is good. Pops is chilling on the Gulf coast of Florida 🙏

Rikers is hell on earth. Period. I remember going every other weekend in the late 90s when I was only 7 years old to visit my father and it was even worse back then. It’s still the worst prison in the country and everyone in there has either less than a year to go, are awaiting trial, or waiting to be sent up top (upstate) if you have a year and a day or more. At least nowadays there’s a half ass attempts to Bring to light the injustices going on there. I just remember it felt like you were in a nightmare crossing that bridge. That bus ride over feels like your on your way to your death and they treat the visitors like inmates themselves even me as a kid. Luckily, my father had no issues when he was there because he was in his mid 40s and considered an old timer Italian street dude raised in the South Bronx to most of the young guys there. Even during visiting hours the other guys would pass by to sit with the people visiting them and say whattup pops! That placed scarred me just by visiting. Can’t even imagine actually being there full time. RIP Dad love and miss you. Fuck that place!