On any given day, more than 7,500 people are detained at New York City’s largest jail, Rikers Island. Nearly 80 percent of those people – roughly 6,000 -- have not been found guilty of the charges they face. Many remain in Rikers for months awaiting a trial. Research and personal stories paint a picture of conditions so inhumane that a New York independent commission examined the situation and determined that the only way to fix Rikers is to shut it down. Retired New York Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman, who chaired the commission, talks about Rikers and incarceration reform efforts. 

Resource: "A More Just New York City"