Some readers work in the criminal justice system. Some live in one of the seven New York City neighborhoods that are home to 75-80 percent of New York State prison and jail inmates. For these, Inside Rikers: Stories from the World’s Largest Penal Colony, probably is not necessary reading. Many readers, however, couldn’t find Rikers Island, unlabeled, on a map. Many, too, are generally unaware that 18,000 inmates – 91percent of whom are African American or Hispanic – are confined in the world’s largest penal colony within a 45-minute transit ride from Midtown. For these, there is much to learn from this book.
Jennifer Wynn’s career did not begin as a criminal justice advocate. Like many thoughtful individuals, her views on crime started to change after getting to know an inmate. She first entered Rikers as a journalist, tracking an arrested hustler, and was surprised to find, after interviewing him, his sisters in Spanish Harlem, and his victims, that her sympathies were with the con man. Motivated by the need to know more about the environment she had stumbled into, Ms. Wynn volunteered for several years as a writing instructor and then served as the director of a rehabilitation program known as Fresh Start. Subsequent graduate study at the John Jay College of Justice completed Ms. Wynn’s transformation to criminal justice reform advocate.