Skip to Main Content
New York University's independent student newspaper, established in 1973.

Washington Square News

New York University's independent student newspaper, established in 1973.

Washington Square News

New York University's independent student newspaper, established in 1973.

Washington Square News

The Exploitation of Prisoners During Crisis

The Exploitation of Prisoners During Crisis

As the coronavirus spreads across the state, New York is shifting the responsibility of combating the outbreak onto incarcerated people and is paying them around 60 cents an hour to do it.
Asha Ramachandran, Deputy Opinion Editor March 12, 2020

New York State is in the middle of a grave public health crisis, with the second-highest number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country. The way that Governor Andrew Cuomo’s...

The False Promise of Closing Rikers Island

The False Promise of Closing Rikers Island

The city’s so-called proposal to close the jail and build four new ones only guarantees the creation of the newer jails. Rikers’ closure, set for 2026, is not guaranteed to happen.
Asha Ramachandran, Contributing Writer October 27, 2019

The New York City Council overwhelmingly voted earlier this month to close the notorious Rikers Island jail complex. The $8 billion resolution will replace Rikers by building,...

The “Carceral Crisis: Race, Class and Punishment in America” course in the Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute focuses on providing students with an in-depth understanding of mass incarceration. (Photo by Victor Porcelli)

Journalism Class Invites Author Alex Vitale to Discuss the Impacts of Mass Incarceration

The class “Carceral Crisis: Race, Class and Punishment in America” invited author Alex Vitale to discuss the effects of mass incarceration on a local level.
Emily Mason, Staff Writer March 27, 2019

Students from NYU’s newest class on mass incarceration convened on the fourth floor of 20 Cooper Square on Wednesday to meet Alex Vitale, the author of their most recent in-class...

NYU’s Lipton Dining Hall, which recently failed a health inspection by the New York City Department of Health.

Aramark’s Long History of Missing the Mark

Kristina Hayhurst, Deputy News Editor February 26, 2018
An in-depth breakdown of NYU food provider Aramark's past and present controversies.