Inmate At Riker's Island Goes On Facebook Live; Reveals Jail's Current State

A prisoner on Rikers Island managed to broadcast himself live on Facebook for nearly two hours, describing the dire conditions inside his cell, as well as taking calls and recording his jail buddies. The video was posted Sunday on Facebook by a user named Buenom Pretty, who listed his work as “La Escuela de la Calle,” which means school of the streets.

More Than An Hour

The video, which lasted for an hour and 41 minutes, began with a yet unidentified inmate going off the camera to urinate. As the prisoner shows off his bed and toilet, he says in Spanish: “I live like a dog here, I live like an animal.” He was also shown taking a phone call from someone, combing his hair, and dancing around the cell. The inmate then films a couple of his cellmates, who then crowded around the camera showing toothy grins.

The inmate complained about the lack of barbers in the complex and jestingly cried at the state of his locks, saying it looked like “poo-poo.” He also expressed his disapproval at brushing his shoulder-length hair. Next, the man showed several homemade cards adorned with hearts that apparently came from loved ones living in the free world. “This right here costs more than the car you drive. This right here, costs more than two months of rent for you,” the man passionately speaks in Spanish for the duration of the live stream.

Going Offline

Near the end of the stream, two of the man’s cellmates could be heard talking in the background about their own accounts on social media. “That’s when I used to post money on the ’gram, drugs, now I don’t do none of that,” an inmate can be heard saying.

The unidentified inmate-turned-live-streaming-host also responded to comments as they came in while he was streaming live, saying, “your little brother here but when he calls you, don’t say nothing about this.” Near the end of the video, the sound of jingling keys could be heard in the background, after which the inmate hurries toward the iron bars just in time to see a prison officer coming. The last scene shows the inmate gesturing to a fellow prisoner to stop the live stream, which then becomes black a few seconds thereafter.

Prohibited Items

Correction officials learned about the live stream and proceeded to confiscate the unidentified inmate’s phone Sunday, a spokesperson said. “We take contraband in our facilities very seriously, and as soon as we became aware of this video, officers conducted a housing area search and recovered associated contraband,” he added. Prison officials did not identify the inmate and did not also say whether he received any disciplinary action.