According to the NYTimes, there were 393,394 visits to Rikers Island to see inmates last year. It seems that many of those visitors are trying their darndest to pass contraband along—and the NYPD finds a cornucopia of valuable goods as a result: “We find a whole host of stuff,” said the New York City Department of Corrections’ chief deputy, Carmine LaBruzzo. “Live ammunition. Cellphones, beepers, iPads, iPods.” more ›

Yelp favorite Rikers Island reportedly had to dump 14,000 rotten, sewage-smelling Jamaican beef patties after cooks got nauseous while preparing them. Which is unfortunate, because a good Jamaican beef patty can really bring people together. more ›

If a place isn't reviewed on Yelp, does it even really exist? It's a haunting existential social media question, but we have been able to confirm that Rikers Island, Manhattan Central Booking, and the 19th precinct station house are all real legitimate establishments—the Post reports today that Yelp users "have started branching out from their foodie focus by writing reviews of the city's jails. According to Yelp, Rikers Island is the Per Se of pokeys, getting an average rating of 4½ stars." One reviewer who gave it five stars writes: more ›

A week after getting released from jail after allegedly robbing a man of his iPod—and two months after getting busted for allegedly dealing crack—16-year-old Steven Mercado is back in the slammer, and he's not getting bailed out. The Daily News has the story on Mercado's biological aunt Debbie Earhart, who's raised him since birth and is his legal guardian and "mom." Earhart tells the News she won't post the teen's $3,000 cash bail, even though he called her from Riker's to tell her that a Trinitario gang threatened to choke the life out of him. more ›

Ah, Rikers Island. It was once a true fashionista's paradise, where visitors were free to gallavant about in spandex, miniskirts, and bosom-heaving tops. But not anymore! Now the prison is cracking down on scantily clad lady visitors, denying them their God-given right to bear boobs and forcing them to wear hideous neon green XXXL T-shirts instead. more ›

Following a stint on Rikers Island after tagging up the East Village, graffiti artist Angel "LA II" Ortiz says he's coming clean. According to The Local the decision comes after spending more than a month at Rikers Island, where his cellmates were Bloods and Latin Kings. That's right, the 44-year-old who collaborated with Keith Haring back in the day, says he's been scared straight! He told the site, “I’m hanging up the gloves. No more spray painting in the streets. I don’t know how I’m going to do it.” more ›

Rikers has been developing a reputation for its soap-opera-esque sex scene, which includes lurid tales of trysts between lonely female guards and eligible inmates. But just because consensual inmate/guards hookups happen often doesn't mean it's ok when senior officers wantonly grope female guards, and whisper sweet nothings like, "When you gonna give me some? What breast-size you have? You have small t--s or big ones?" more ›

Have you ever wondered how much it might cost you to pay off a guard to help you escape prison? Well, we can now tell you one going rate: $90,000 worth of cocaine. That's how much one prisoner allegedly paid off a guard to help him escape Rikers Island. more ›

Accused gun mule Afrika Owes has the likes of Harlem Reverend Calvin Butts and Rep. Charlie Rangel on her side, but every little bit helps, right? Maybe not when it's her 20-year-old boyfriend, who is currently doing time at Rikers for armed robbery, defending her. Owes is accused of running guns to a Harlem gang for her boyfriend Jaquan "Jay Cash" Layne after repeatedly talking to him while he was in jail, but he told the Daily News, "She didn't do it. I didn't do it." Finally, someone to clear up this whole misunderstanding. more ›

Harlem seems to be conflicted over what to do about Afrika Owes, the former straight-A student who is now being held at Rikers after being charged with carrying guns to the 137th Street Crew. Harlem's Reverend Calvin Butts says she's been led astray, and even compared her to Patty Hearst. And now lawyer Elsie Chandler has filed papers asking for a reduction or dismissal of her bail, claiming Owes is "full of promise, brilliant, kind and deeply troubled." more ›

Harlem Reverend Calvin Butts of the Abyssinian Baptist Church is still on his crusade to clear the name of Afrika Owes, the former straight-A student who is now sitting in Rikers after being accused of ferrying guns to a Harlem street gang at the command of her boyfriend, who was also doing time in Rikers. But where do you draw the line between Stockholm Syndrome and stupidity? Butts suggests Owes's actions fall within the former, and that she deserves a second chance. Just like Patty Hearst got. more ›

The Brooklyn man who is accused of setting a plan in motion to kill his ex-friend, involving casual threesomes, sexting, and hitmen-for-hire, is currently being held without bail on Riker's Island. Ragene Powell-Dickerson claims he's innocent, and in a jailhouse interview with the News today, he stumbles upon what is sure to be the new go-to excuse for any defendant: "Why would I do that to my close friend? That's not my M.O. I'm a tax-paying citizen." more ›

A city correction officer has been suspended for 15 days and placed on modified duty with no inmate contact after she was busted bringing her cell phone to work to chat with her boyfriend—a Bloods member doing time at Rikers. Rosalyn Wilkes, 43, was charged with promoting prison contraband after taking her personal cell phone to jail, which is prohibited. She allegedly used the phone to talk to her boyfriend while she was working at the Tombs in Lower Manhattan, and even let other inmates use it to talk to him. more ›

A whiny doctor doing time at Rikers after being accused of sexually abusing his patients while they were under anesthesia was reportedly placed in solitary confinement for 40 days after "disrespecting" prison staff and committing some sort of "sex offense." And apparently, that punishment really sucks! Prisoner Mikhail Sorodsky is asking a judge to order corrections officers to never throw him in solitary confinement again, because he "cannot physically endure any additional time in solitary confinement." Unsurprisingly, they didn't care. more ›

There was more pandemonium at Rikers last night when a fight broke out while correction officers tried to lock inmates into their cells for the night. CNN reports that fifteen corrections officers were injured (the Wall Street Journal puts the counts 16) but none of the injuries were life threatening. It's unclear what started the fight, but a spokesman for the Corrections Officers' Benevolent Association says the inmates started it. It's unclear what injuries the inmates sustained, if any. The C.O. union also pins the blame on the budget cuts: "Correction officers are being violently attacked at the hands of inmates because they know that staffing levels are low, and the Department of Correction continues to cut posts, jeopardizing the safety and security of Correction Officers and inmates alike." more ›

Yesterday it was reported that a Daily News reporter witnessed a Rikers guard assaulting and arresting a visitor after a shouting match. Today, the Post reports that another guard was caught trying to smuggle drugs and cigarettes in order to sell to prisoners. Not the most surefire way to go from rags to riches. more ›

Lil Wayne will cap off his first days of freedom from Rikers, after serving an eight month sentence for a gun possession charge, with an "elegant, extravagant" evening of celebration and strippers to welcome him home. It was a semi-calm first day for Wayne yesterday, but it will soon be a very busy week for the rap superstar, with cross-country trips and parties galore. Thankfully for us, his official fan club, MTV, is there to report on his every move, from his first glass of post-prison champagne to his first post-prison dump. more ›

The angels are rejoicing today—after eight months in jail over a gun possession charge, Lil Wayne is finally free! But just as his sentencing was continually interrupted by bizarre occurrences, including a courthouse fire and dental surgery, his parole came with its own minor snag: a miscalculation nearly forced Wayne to spend an extra day in jail. Once that was cleared up, Wayne was discharged from Rikers prison around 8:30 a.m. today. more ›

A 34-year-old Rikers Island guard, Garina Fearon, may now have more money than some of the famous inmates she's had to look over during her time on duty. Fearon won $54MM in last week's Mega Millions drawing, and she told the NY Post, "I wanted a better life. I was struggling as a single parent. I've really come back from nothing." Yep, it's the feel good story for your Friday afternoon! more ›

Poor Marty Markowitz can't seem to keep his beloved summer concert series at Asser Levy Park controversy-free this year. First they were too loud, and now the Brooklyn Paper reports that the Brooklyn Borough President has been using free labor courtesy of Rikers Island! more ›

Lil Wayne has had quite the adventure during his time behind bars, which has included a prison blog, music contraband, weekly calls to Drake, and just a grand ol' time in general. Now the Daily News has an update from Rikers, where the rapper has been doing a lot of reflecting since getting locked up there in March. more ›

Last time we checked in with our favorite prison blogger Lil Wayne, he had been caught with "music contraband" in his jail cell, and things weren't looking so weezy-breezy for the superstar. But weep not for the ESPN blogger! In a new letter to his fans, he reveals that prison actually is pretty easy: more ›

Even though Natavia Lowery is behind bars for 30 years to life for the murder of Linda Stein, it doesn't mean she's staying out of trouble. Back in January she was charged with tossing urine at a jail guard on Rikers Island, and yesterday she had her day in court for the incident. more ›

After spending a few days at Rikers Island, Poster Boy (Henry Matyjewicz)'s lawyer, Kerry Gotlib, won an appeal that got him released on bail and is now looking to reinstate the original no-jail plea deal for his client. Bushwick BK is reporting that the Department of Corrections has a court date scheduled in September, and that Matyjewicz might be looking at some tough times if sentenced back to Rikers. more ›

Poster Boy (aka Henry Macyjewicz) has been back in the headlines lately after being sentenced to 11 months behind bars—a sentence that came from a judge some call vindictive. Yesterday it was being reported (by the publishing house putting out his book next month) that Macyjewicz was going to be out on bail soon—a claim that the NY Law Journal confirms. According to the Law Journal's article (subscription only), after just one week on Rikers Island, the street artist was set free after an appellate judge granted his motion for bail pending appeal. more ›

Yesterday word got out that Poster Boy, 28-year-old Henry Matyjewicz, was tossed in the slammer on Friday after missing his court appearance last week. The street artist claims to have had the date wrong, and showed up one day late apologizing. more ›

Former Rikers guard, 33-year-old probationary employee Amelia Negron, claimed she was axed after being wrongfully accused of trying to catch a glimpse of Lil Wayne. The rapper is currently serving time there... but you probably know that from his prison blog. more ›