Rikers Island: The Troubled History of New York City’s Notorious Jail

Rikers Island is one of the most infamous correctional facilities in the United States. Located in the East River between the boroughs of Queens and the Bronx, the jail complex has become synonymous with the systemic failures of the American penal system. Over the decades, Rikers has been home to a range of detainees—from those awaiting trial to high-profile criminals—and has become a symbol of both the overuse of incarceration and the urgent need for reform. This article explores the island’s history, its transformation into a jail complex, the controversies that have plagued it, and the future of incarceration in New York City. It also introduces some of the most notorious inmates who have spent time on the island.

Early History: From Private Property to Penal Island

Rikers Island was originally known as Rycken’s Island, named after Dutch settler Abraham Rycken, who purchased the land in 1664. The Rycken family held the island until 1884, when the City of New York bought it for $180,000 (New York City Department of Correction, n.d.). At the time, the island covered just under 90 acres, but subsequent landfill projects—often carried out using prison labor—expanded its size to over 400 acres, making it one of the largest jail complexes in the world.

Before it became a jail, Rikers was used for a variety of purposes. During the Civil War, it served as a training ground for Union troops. In later years, it was a site for garbage disposal and farming operations that supported nearby penal institutions (NYC Municipal Archives, 2019). It wasn’t until the 20th century that the city began to envision the island as a cornerstone of its correctional strategy.

The Establishment of a Jail Complex

In the 1930s, New York City sought to overhaul its outdated and overcrowded penal system. The city began constructing jails on Rikers Island to replace those on Blackwell’s Island (now Roosevelt Island), which had become dilapidated and unsafe. The first permanent jail on Rikers opened in 1932. Over the following decades, additional facilities were added, including the Otis Bantum Correctional Center and the Rose M. Singer Center, the latter serving female inmates.

By the 1980s and 1990s, Rikers had grown into a massive complex housing up to 20,000 inmates at a time. It also employed thousands of corrections officers and civilian staff. The population primarily consisted of individuals awaiting trial who could not afford bail, making Rikers more of a pretrial detention center than a prison for convicted criminals.

A Culture of Violence and Abuse

Despite its size and scope, Rikers has become synonymous with neglect, violence, and systemic abuse. Numerous reports have documented inhumane conditions, unsanitary facilities, and widespread brutality by both inmates and guards. In 2014, the U.S. Department of Justice found that Rikers routinely violated the constitutional rights of adolescent inmates, citing excessive use of force and solitary confinement (U.S. DOJ, 2014).

One of the most tragic and telling stories is that of Kalief Browder, a 16-year-old arrested on suspicion of stealing a backpack. Browder spent three years on Rikers without being convicted of a crime, two of them in solitary confinement. He was eventually released after charges were dropped, but the psychological toll led to his suicide in 2015. His case became a catalyst for renewed demands to close Rikers and reform New York City’s bail system (Gonnerman, 2014).

Notorious Inmates of Rikers Island

Over the years, Rikers has housed some of the most infamous individuals in American criminal history, including:

1. David Berkowitz (Son of Sam) – Convicted of a string of murders in the 1970s, Berkowitz was held at Rikers before being transferred to state prison.

2. Mark David Chapman – The man who murdered John Lennon spent time at Rikers before being transferred to Attica Correctional Facility.

3. Sid Vicious – The punk rock bassist of the Sex Pistols was incarcerated at Rikers for the murder of his girlfriend Nancy Spungen in 1978. He died of a heroin overdose shortly after his release.

4. Tupac Shakur – The rapper was held at Rikers in 1995 while appealing a sexual assault conviction.

5. Plaxico Burress – The former NFL star served time at Rikers after accidentally shooting himself with an unlicensed firearm.

6. Harvey Weinstein – The disgraced Hollywood mogul was held at Rikers in 2020 after his conviction for rape and sexual assault, before being transferred to a state prison.

These inmates reflect the diversity of cases Rikers has dealt with—from petty crimes to national scandals—and the facility’s status as a holding pen for individuals from all walks of life.

Efforts Toward Closure and Reform

Mounting pressure from activists, lawmakers, and community members led to a historic announcement in 2017 by then-Mayor Bill de Blasio: Rikers Island would be closed within a decade and replaced with a system of smaller, borough-based jails (New York City Council, 2019). The plan, approved in 2019, aimed to close Rikers by 2026.

However, implementation has faced multiple hurdles, including budget concerns, community opposition, and rising violence at Rikers itself. In May 2025, a federal judge removed operational control from the city and appointed an independent remediation manager, citing the city’s failure to stem violence and mismanagement (Reuters, 2025).

Conclusion

Rikers Island represents both the legacy and the failures of the American correctional system. While it was initially conceived as a solution to outdated jail facilities, it evolved into a symbol of dysfunction, inequality, and institutional abuse. As the city works toward closing the facility and transforming its approach to incarceration, Rikers remains a powerful reminder of the need for systemic reform. The future of justice in New York may well depend on the lessons learned from Rikers Island.

References

Gonnerman, J. (2014, October 6). Before the Law: A boy was accused of taking a backpack. The courts took the next three years of his life. The New Yorker. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/10/06/before-the-law

New York City Council. (2019, October 17). City Council votes to close Rikers Island and build smaller, borough-based jails. https://council.nyc.gov/press/2019/10/17/1892/

New York City Department of Correction. (n.d.). About DOC – History. https://www.nyc.gov/site/doc/about/history-doc.page

NYC Municipal Archives. (2019, March 21). The birth, life, and (maybe) death of Rikers Island. https://www.archives.nyc/blog/2019/3/21/the-birth-life-and-maybe-death-of-rikers-island

Reuters. (2025, May 10). Federal judge appoints manager to oversee Rikers Island jail reforms. https://www.reuters.com

U.S. Department of Justice. (2014, August 4). CRIPA investigation of the New York City Department of Correction jails on Rikers Island. https://www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/crt/legacy/2014/08/04/rykersonisland_findings_8-4-14.pdf