This film from Bill Moyers is the first documentary to focus exclusively on people formerly detained in New York City’s notorious Rikers Island Jail. They tell their compelling stories direct to the camera, revealing the violent arc of the Rikers experience – from the trauma of entry to extortion and control by inmates, to oppressive corrections officers, violence and solitary confinement.
Direction
Levin and Benjamin let survivors own every frame.
Production
Bill Moyers lends gravitas without overshadowing voices.
Director
Marc Levin
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Rikers houses nearly 10,000 people nightly despite calls for closure since 2019. The jail's very existence has become a symbol of failed progressive promises in NYC.
Several interviewees later became organizers with JustLeadershipUSA, turning this documentary testimony into direct policy advocacy — the film became evidence in closure campaigns.
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