Both Sides of the Bars Episode 394: Closing Rikers: Holding Space for History and Vision

There is a mass incarceration crisis underway in the United States that has been persisting for decades. America is home to roughly the same number people with criminal records as it is to four-year college graduates. While New York City holds criminal legal system reform up as a progressive reform priority, it is also currently home to a multi-building mega jail complex constructed in 1932 known as Rikers Island. Our two guests – Jordan Stockdale, who is deputy executive director for the Close Rikers initiative at the NYC Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice … and Kandra Clark, who is associate VP of strategy with Exodus Transitional Community – will each discuss why they want to close Rikers. Our host is Jamie Maleszka, a creative writing teacher and grant writer at The Fortune Society.