“It was rat infested, ant infested. It was just hot,” said Leah Faria, who was held at Rikers Island. “The window screens were so dirty you couldn’t see out and couldn’t get air in.” (Yvonne Marquez)
Leah Faria spent three years on Rikers Island and more than 20 years in prison.
She remembers the “dehumanizing” conditions that have only gotten worse at New York City’s infamous jail.
A record number of incarcerated people have died at the jail this year. Faria is among the activists and elected officials calling on the city to stop sending people there over technical parole violations.
In this AudioFiles story, Yvonne Marquez reports on the movement to close Rikers.
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