Inmates Running Asylum: Brawls, Parties, Overdoses Overwhelm Short-Staffed Riker’s Island

Short-staffing issues at Riker’s Island have resulted in chaos. Brawls, parties, and overdoses have become a norm at the New York correctional facility.

On Sunday, footage was released of an inmate being brutally assaulted by three other inmates. In the video, the victim can be heard yelling, “Why the fuck are you fighting me for!” As punches rained down from his three aggressors, the inmate repeatedly screamed, “I’m not a Brim! I’m not a Brim!” The word “Brim” refers to a subset of the gang the Bloods. For 25 seconds the attack lasted without any guard intervention.

According to the President of the Correction Captains’ Association Patrick Ferraiuolo, there were at least 33 unsupervised posts while 22 officers pulled triple shifts.

Another incident occurred last week when a TikTok video of inmates partying in the Robert N. Davoren Complex was brought to light. The inmates enjoyed rap music and drinks while one inmate smoked on what appeared to be a type of cigarette. It is not known what the contents inside the cigarette paper were. A Riker’s source explained, “again, no officer on post.” The source would add that “cellphones, money, and drugs,” have become common aspects of inmate’s lives.

A third incident took place this week when inmate Esias Johnson, 24, was discovered dead in his cell in the Anna M. Kross Center. According to Ferraiuolo and another source, the death appears to be a product of an overdose as Johnson was unresponsive in his cell at 9:45 a.m. on Tuesday. According to the DOC, Johnson accounts for the tenth inmate to die in only the last nine months and “at least the third person to die on Rikers in the last 30 days” per a statement released from the Legal Aid Society- READ MORE