Women are a distinct population on Rikers that needs care.
New York City is planning to close the notorious Rikers jail complex, and criminal justice reform advocates say other changes are needed — especially for women.
The majority of incarcerated women are abuse survivors, and many are also mothers. As a result, advocates and formerly incarcerated women say, their needs in jail are different from men’s.
Katherine Fung reports on the fight to help incarcerated women be heard.