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Captives: How Rikers Island Took New York City Hostage
Just about everybody knows the name Rikers Island. A fixture of pop culture and underground prison lore alike, the sprawling East River jail complex has become synonymous with both the horrors of mass incarceration and the structurally-racist class domination at its core. But how did Rikers Island get to be this way? America's Jail represents a scrupulously researched answer to this question, written for a lay audience in an accessible narrative form. Befitting the high stakes of the present Rikers debate, the issues explored in this work have broad implications for the future of mass incarceration in the United States and beyond. Drawing from extensive archival research, decades of journalism, interviews, prisoner testimonials, and firsthand experience, Jarrod Shanahan tells the story of how so many miserable jail facilities ended up on one tiny East River islet, by charting the unwitting cooperation between prison reformers, who built jail infrastructure on the optimistic wager it could be used for social good, and the forces of organized retrenchment, who ensured this would never come to pass. By tracing the failure of jail reform in postwar New York in detail, America's Jail casts considerable doubt on jail reformers' ability to solve the problems of incarceration with better incarceration, even in shiny new jails.
Audio CD
Published May 17, 2022
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About the author
Jarrod Shanahan
8Ìýbooks8ÌýfollowersJarrod Shanahan is a writer, activist, and educator based in Chicago. He works as an Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice at Governors State University in University Park, Illinois, and is the coauthor of States of Incarceration: Rebellion, Reform, and the Future of America’s Punishment System; a co-editor of Treason to Whiteness Is Loyalty to Humanity, a Noel Ignatiev reader; and an editor of Hard Crackers: Chronicles of Everyday Life.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
July 7, 2022
Well written, well researched, and interesting all at the same time. A compelling argument for abolition and revolution - not reform. Also just a great story situated historically. Shut it down.
April 4, 2023
Holy cow. This one was tough to get through but so so informative and interesting.
May 15, 2022
I received this audiobook from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. In general I am interested in the history and present day situation surrounding prisons, not only regarding the theory behind incarceration, but also the implementation.
The author, having spent some time in prison himself, brings a unique perspective to the history of Rikers Island, which probably another author on the same subject would have lacked.
I found the book to be highly informative, and at times infuriating -- the prison policies of the US are just atrocious!
I think that this is an important book as it shows the inequality of a system that was not built for "rehabilitation", despite everyone's protestations to the contrary. That most of the prison population is not white, is not an accident and is a symptom of the racism which runs rampant in America.
I highly recommend this book, even for people who are not usually into nonfiction or history books.
The author, having spent some time in prison himself, brings a unique perspective to the history of Rikers Island, which probably another author on the same subject would have lacked.
I found the book to be highly informative, and at times infuriating -- the prison policies of the US are just atrocious!
I think that this is an important book as it shows the inequality of a system that was not built for "rehabilitation", despite everyone's protestations to the contrary. That most of the prison population is not white, is not an accident and is a symptom of the racism which runs rampant in America.
I highly recommend this book, even for people who are not usually into nonfiction or history books.
May 11, 2022
This is a book narrating the history of the penal colony on Rikers Island in New York City. Shanahan details the political scene from the 50’s through the early 90’s and beyond, which gives insight into the thought and machinations behind this terrible place.
Narrator Tremblay does a good job with the material, which is very politicized and polarizing while remaining dry. This book is by turns boring, infuriating, heartbreaking, dry, and impassioned. The story of this ghastly prison is told in a very linear fashion, so it is easy to follow.
Three and a half stars. The material itself resonates with me and I do appreciate the facts and history lesson behind its construction. Unfortunately it was just a little dry for my taste, though filled with sadness, humor, and the harsh reality of an unchecked “correctional� facility operated by thugs. Ultimately I finished the book with a feeling of frustration. My thanks to Tantor Audio via Netgalley for this nearly 14-hour audiobook.
#Captives #Netgalley #TrueCrime #IncarcerationNation #CarceralState #KindlesAllTheWayDown #KatzAllTheWayDown #ifcatscouldread #booksandcats #catsandbooks #booksandcatstagram #catsandbookstagram
#bookstagram #Catstagram #thecatmodel #Rescuedismyfavoritebreed #rescuecatsofinsta
Narrator Tremblay does a good job with the material, which is very politicized and polarizing while remaining dry. This book is by turns boring, infuriating, heartbreaking, dry, and impassioned. The story of this ghastly prison is told in a very linear fashion, so it is easy to follow.
Three and a half stars. The material itself resonates with me and I do appreciate the facts and history lesson behind its construction. Unfortunately it was just a little dry for my taste, though filled with sadness, humor, and the harsh reality of an unchecked “correctional� facility operated by thugs. Ultimately I finished the book with a feeling of frustration. My thanks to Tantor Audio via Netgalley for this nearly 14-hour audiobook.
#Captives #Netgalley #TrueCrime #IncarcerationNation #CarceralState #KindlesAllTheWayDown #KatzAllTheWayDown #ifcatscouldread #booksandcats #catsandbooks #booksandcatstagram #catsandbookstagram
#bookstagram #Catstagram #thecatmodel #Rescuedismyfavoritebreed #rescuecatsofinsta
May 19, 2022
I was not a huge fan of this audiobook. As much as I like true crime and books like this, I found this to be rather boring. There was a lot of informative stuff, but I wish they more focused on the crimes and criminals. I could have done without some of the information.
I did really enjoy the stories on the riots and how things were handled back then. I have always heard tales of Rikers Island and how horrible of a place that it is. It is definitely one of the last places that I would want to be locked up in.
I did really enjoy the stories on the riots and how things were handled back then. I have always heard tales of Rikers Island and how horrible of a place that it is. It is definitely one of the last places that I would want to be locked up in.
February 19, 2023
Extremely interesting account into the history of the Rikers Island prison system starting in the 1950’s-1990’s highlighting the class struggles within the city of New York and the corruption that goes hand in hand with the carceral system as a whole! 5 stars
April 1, 2025
Comprehensive and powerful account of NYC in the 20th century through the lens of Rikers island and the carceral system. Helped me synthesize thoughts on a lot of other books I’ve read, and shape my understanding of the current conversation around “law and order� politics.
December 17, 2022
Great book - an enlightening and very detailed history of carceral reform in NYC.
August 8, 2023
Really good, hard read that commits you to abolition
November 3, 2023
Well-told story articulating why prisons can’t be reformed
June 22, 2022
Thank you to NetGalley for access to the audiobook of Captives: How Rikers Island Took New York City Hostage by Jarrod Shanahan in exchange for an honest review.
CW: incarceration, racism, classism
This is an excellently researched book presenting the history of Rikers Island and its vast development within the prison-industrial complex. Shanahan provides a holistic picture of the socio-political context that contributed to boom of the prison and mass incarceration in New York. While this book was informative, it was a history book in the more traditional sense. There were not many stories from individuals who have been effected by either imprisonment or proximity to Rikers Island, which was especially disappointing since the author himself claims to have been an inmate at Rikers for a brief period of time. With histories like these, I always find the narrative to be more accessible and interesting when personalized stories are included. Overall, I would recommend this book to people who are more interested in history and politics than to those who are more interested in the systemic issues of mass incarceration. Michelle Alexander's The New Jim Crow is a suggested alternative for those looking for the latter.
CW: incarceration, racism, classism
This is an excellently researched book presenting the history of Rikers Island and its vast development within the prison-industrial complex. Shanahan provides a holistic picture of the socio-political context that contributed to boom of the prison and mass incarceration in New York. While this book was informative, it was a history book in the more traditional sense. There were not many stories from individuals who have been effected by either imprisonment or proximity to Rikers Island, which was especially disappointing since the author himself claims to have been an inmate at Rikers for a brief period of time. With histories like these, I always find the narrative to be more accessible and interesting when personalized stories are included. Overall, I would recommend this book to people who are more interested in history and politics than to those who are more interested in the systemic issues of mass incarceration. Michelle Alexander's The New Jim Crow is a suggested alternative for those looking for the latter.
July 16, 2023
In Captives, Shanahan conducts a Marxist historical analysis of the American prison system and its role in maintaining capitalist order, using Rykers Island as a case study and writing in highly engaging, digestible prose.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
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