During one recent chat, Benjamin sat with her son, Justis James, in a conference room filled with books, colored markers and paper. Rikers Island is an abomination. In this Dec. 12, 2016 photo, Sebastian Benjamin, left, talks via video conference from New York's Rikers Island to his sister and nephew, right, on a video screen at the Brooklyn Public Library. Benjamin has been in detention awaiting trial on a murder charge for more than three years. A Rikers Island correction officer wound up in the hospital with a bloodied head after he was allegedly assaulted by a gang member, according to … I've never seen a film like this before—it is the raw truth of what it is like to be on Rikers Island. As coronavirus cases began spiking in New York City in March, officials worried that the city's notorious jail system on Rikers Island could become a … Evaluations are conducted in person at the CRAN office, through Video Conference, at Rikers Island, or in the court cells. It is not just detainees and guards. Rikers, an island in the waters between the Bronx and Queens, gets up to 1,500 visitors daily. Visitors to the aging Rikers complex, which the city plans to close within the next decade, face laborious trips to the isolated island and have reported abuse at the hands of correction officers. Rikers Island is a mini city unto itself. As someone who spent time on Rikers as a young person, I … I've visited two hundred correction facilities around the country and I can tell you, Rikers is every jail; and every jail is Rikers. The parole process was chaos on Rikers Island Monday as defense attorneys refused to attend hearings they feared were ripe for spreading coronavirus. Putting a 16- and 17-year old on Rikers Island is an abomination. And don’t tell me it’s going to take ten years to fix that abomination, because when you want to do something you do it and it doesn’t have to take ten years to end the injustice of Rikers Island. As Justis read from a picture book, Sebastian B It is thousands of people coming on and off every day. The library branches are able to offer a handful or two of hour-long video appointments per week. State judges in New York are using video to preside remotely over arraignments of criminal defendants. Rikers Attorney/Client Video Interview Request Form In response to the Covid-19 public health crisis, New York State Unified Court System has implemented virtual courts, in which all the parties will join a Skype for Business (SfB) video call for court proceedings. Still, they are an alternative for people who might otherwise be reluctant to go, like an elderly relative or a parent who's uncomfortable bringing a child. Also occasionally, externs may conduct evaluations at other facilities depending on where clients are housed. In this Dec. 12, 2016 photo, Sebastian Benjamin, left, talks via video conference from New York's Rikers Island to his sister and nephew, right, on a video screen at the Brooklyn Public Library.