prison reform Archives - Washington Square News

Opinion: Close Rikers now

Amid an alarming rise in suicides, neglect and unlivable conditions, it is incumbent upon Mayor Bill de Blasio to shut down Rikers Island jail complex and stop wasting taxpayer money on pointless reforms.

Asha Ramachandran, Opinion Editor • September 30, 2021

After touring Rikers Island on Monday, Sept. 27, Mayor Bill de Blasio noted the city’s progress in improving the jail. However, he failed to mention the deadly overcrowding,...

New York City has an obligation to vaccinate prisoners

Incarcerated New Yorkers face a higher risk of exposure and death from COVID-19. They should be prioritized in the city’s vaccine distribution plan.

Lucy Yama, Contributing Writer • March 29, 2021

New York City’s COVID-19 vaccine distribution plan has excluded prisoners, one of the city’s most vulnerable populations. The Legal Aid Society accused Gov. Cuomo and New York...

Don’t Try Children as Adults

The boys charged with the murder of Tessa Majors, like every other child indicted with a serious crime, should be tried in juvenile court.

Emily Dai, Deputy Opinion Editor • March 2, 2020

On Dec. 11 of last year, 18-year old Tessa Majors was fatally stabbed while on an early evening walk through a park near campus. Majors had recently moved to New York from Charlottesville,...

Left Behind in Hurricane Florence

Cole Stallone, Contributing Writer • September 19, 2018

Read one writer's in-depth analysis on why the neglect of South Carolina prisoners at the height of Hurricane Florence is a sign of the broader prison reform that is growing increasingly necessary in the United States.