Graham Rayman

Rikers; An Oral History, by Graham Rayman and Reuven Blau, is a disturbing and infuriating look at one portion of what passes for a justice system in this country.

The stories in this book, all first-person accounts of time at Rikers, tell the larger story of a system that not only doesn't work but is designed to not work. Namely because it is designed to dehumanize and abuse those who often aren't even guilty and, regardless of that, are supposed to be considered innocent until proven show more guilty. Yet they are held for long periods, in abhorrent conditions, often for extended periods in solitary. This is AmeriKKKan justice.

Even if you don't support restorative justice (which would almost eliminate the need for jails and prisons) you should at least support rehabilitative justice. And what takes place at Rikers, and everywhere across the country, runs completely counter to that. This is a country that doesn't care about large portions of the population and is willing to take a person who may have committed an offense (remember the innocent until proven guilty thing?) and try to turn them into the monsters that the powers that be need them to be, all in order to keep the unfair "justice" system working to support an evil and immoral power class.

This volume is a moving tribute to those who faced this immoral and unethical monster and have survived, often to then find ways to help other victims of the "justice" system. If this doesn't make you want reform, then I don't want to know you, I prefer to keep inhuman monsters out of my life.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley. show less