The Prisoners of Riker's Island

Watching this documentary gave an insight into life as an inmate at Riker's Island and also insight into how prison officials operate inside the prison. It was a very good documentary although at some points it felt as if they were trying to portray the prison officials in a good way. At the very beginning of the documentary, we see how many inmates are at Riker's Island and the budget they receive. The documentary said that at the time, 17,000 inmates were being held at Rikers Island and they had an estimated budget of $700 million. With a $700 million budget, you'd expect it to be very clean and well-maintained. You'd expect the prisoners to have adequate assistance with their needs but that would all be very wrong. There are scenes shown in which a prisoner wasn't getting help for an injury and because of that, he lashed out at the doctor and it became a big deal. It shouldn't have to be that way. The prison officials in the documentary didn't always treat the inmates as if they were humans and this is one of those instances. If he would've gotten the medical attention when he needed it, the whole situation wouldn't have happened in the first place. One thing I mentioned earlier was how it felt as if there were moments in which the prison officials were made to look good. I felt this way because there was a scene in which a Puerto Rican inmate was getting his sentence for having a shank on him when they did a cell search. The lady giving him his sentence felt sympathetic as if she cared for him but, to be honest, that felt very fake. I believe that if the cameras weren't rolling, that whole situation between the lady and the Puerto Rican inmate wouldn't have happened. I feel like the cameras stopped a lot of situations from happening. 

Another instance where the inmates aren't viewed as "human" is when they're put in cell therapy. I thought that whole concept was messed up and is basically solitary confinement with a different name because the prisoners are locked in their cells and they aren't allowed to do anything. The prisoners felt as if they were losing their minds being put in cell therapy. It's crazy how so many inmates are in prisons with long sentences when they would be better off getting help. A lot of the inmates suffer from mental health issues. According to the documentary, 25% of inmates on Rikers Island require help with mental health issues. It's insane how many issues are being brought to light in this documentary. I could honestly go on and on but even though this documentary came out, it doesn't seem as if any sort of action was made to create a better environment for prisoners. I feel like people have this notion that prisoners are all there for a reason. That they deserve whatever comes their way and in some cases that statement wouldn't be wrong. It still doesn't take away the fact that prisoners are human as well. They have every right to receive adequate help when needed and treatment for any sort of issue they have.