Self-Harm Is Exploding In New York City Jails, Internal Numbers Show

[WhiskeyGrinder]

https://gothamist.com/news/self-harm-exploding-new-york-city-jails-internal-numbers-show-rikers

Internal numbers, obtained by WNYC/Gothamist and THE CITY, show that the rate of self-harm in city jails spiked last summer as COVID-19 ravaged New York and has climbed to historic levels in the months since.

Between July and September 2020, the self-injury rate nearly doubled that of the previous quarter. According to the latest available data, covering April to June of this year, city jails recorded 539 incidents of incarcerated people hurting themselves, pushing the rate up to 95 such incidents per every thousand detainees — the highest in the last five years.

Meanwhile, the number of detainees is growing while staffing shortages have driven city jails into a near constant crisis mode.

After years of no, or few suicides, five people on Rikers Island have taken their lives over the last nine months, the highest total in at least a decade.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

1. Afternoon kick.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

2. Late afternoon kick.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

3. Nighttime kick. Is self-injury the point of incarceration?

[Treefrog]

4. The NYT had a story on this recently.

Not only self harm, but guards harming inmates, inmates harming inmates, guards working double and triple shifts…a horror show.

Sadly, I’ve seen many here applauding prison violence, in all its forms.

[littlemissmartypants]

5. Kick. ❤ nt