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U.S. Prisons Need a Board of Visitors
It’s time to shine a light on the hidden shame of our prison system
In early February, a scene that would warm the heart of any prison-reform advocate unfolded outside the Metropolitan Detention Center in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. Dozens of protesters, maybe hundreds, crowded the sidewalk outside, braving the cold and bearing signs that read “Enough,” “Cruelty,” and “You Are Loved.” Videos of incarcerated men banging on the windows of their cells trended online. Family members used megaphones to inquire if their jailed loved ones were okay. The response? A resounding “No!”
Local elected officials, including Rep. Jerrold Nadler, who heads the House Judiciary Committee, showed up to voice their outrage. Rep. Ocasio-Cortez fired off a tweet to a couple million followers, drawing national attention to the issue. Governor Andrew Cuomo called for a federal investigation, which is now being conducted by the Justice Department. A local advocacy group, Federal Defenders of New York, filed a lawsuit, and New York Attorney General Letitia James signed on.
The indignation had been prompted by a story in The New York Times revealing the terrifying conditions inside the jail: Well over a thousand men had been locked in their cells for days, freezing in dark cages, without access to medications or hot…
