AMERICA UNDERCOVER: LOCK UP: THE PRISONERS OF RIKERS ISLAND (TV)

Summary

One in this series of documentaries presented by HBO. This program examines the Rikers Island prison facility in New York. This program includes interviews with inmates and correction officers, as well as footage of prison life. Highlights include the following: the location and size of the island; the number of inmates the facility houses; the type of inmates housed in the Anna K. Kross Center, which is the largest section among the ten separate jails on the island; the way an inmate's race becomes important upon entering a particular section of the jail; earning respect from other prisoners without resorting to violence; initiating a contraband search; the consequences when weapons are found in inmates' cells, or when they assault a correction officer; inmate Jimmy Mirabel, who was born in prison and addicted to drugs, and who battles with AIDS while incarcerated; the Emergency Response Unit, which combats violence among inmates; the increase in the facility's female population in the last decade; the number of female inmates who are pregnant, drug addicted, or infected with the HIV-virus or tuberculosis; the separate facilities for openly gay inmates, designed to protect them from life-threatening situations; Mirabel's reasons for wanting to live the rest of his life in a drug rehabilitation center rather than a jail cell; pregnant inmates' skepticism about their medical check-ups; the way the prison judiciary system handles inmates who have tried to escape; inmates who require medical assistance due to mental disorders; the ratio of deaths to births per year on the island; the number of preliminary hearings for Mirabel before a verdict is reached; and the number of times that released inmates are sent back to Rikers. This program is closed-captioned.

(This program contains adult-oriented language and material.)

Cataloging of this program has been made possible by Senator Roy M. Goodman, 1998/1999.

Details

• NETWORK: HBO
• DATE: June 6, 1994 Monday 10:15 PM
• RUNNING TIME: 1:15:02
• COLOR/B&W: Color
• CATALOG ID: T:52474
• GENRE: Public affairs/Documentaries
• SUBJECT HEADING: Crime and criminals; Public institutions; Prisons; Rikers Island, New York
• SERIES RUN: HBO - TV series, 1983-2006
• COMMERCIALS: N/A

CREDITS

• Sheila Nevins … Executive Producer
• Nina Rosenblum … Producer, Director, Created by
• Alpert, Jon (See also: Alpert, Jonny) … Producer, Director
• Robin Stouber … Associate Producer
• Jonathan Moss … Associate Producer
• Jimmy Mirabel