The Hustler Files Ep 174 - Elias Husamudeen : A Rikers Reset For America’s Most Infamous Jail

Rikers Island has been synonymous with violence, dysfunction, and controversy for decades. But as New York City moves toward closing one of America’s most infamous jail complexes, former NYC Correction Officer and union leader Elias Husamudeen believes there’s another option: reinvent it. After 34 years working inside the New York City correction system, Elias brings a perspective shaped by firsthand experience. His ambitious Rikers Reset proposal would dramatically reduce the island’s jail footprint while creating space for education, transitional housing, mental health and medical care, rehabilitation and other resources designed to address what happens both during incarceration and after release. Elias offers his insight about what Rikers is really like behind the headlines, why previous reform efforts have struggled, the enormous cost of closing and rebuilding New York City’s jail system, and why he believes rehabilitation, not simply new buildings is the key to reducing recidivism. Is it time to close Rikers Island, or is it time to completely reimagine what it could become?