Phillip White

Phillip White grew up in the Washington, DC area and moved to New York in 1976. He first arrived at Rikers Island in the mid-1980s as a teenager. Rikers Island, for many of White's friends, was a rite of passage that helped establish their street cred. White befriended some corrections officers at Rikers, who brought him weapons, drugs, and alcohol. He got into several altercations while incarcerated, using razors, box cutters, and bleach to fight. A regular visitor to the Rikers' law library, White also participated in various educational programs. He describes how his five years at Rikers, with its chaos and violence, was more traumatic than his 19 years in state prison. His experience at Rikers left him diminished and desensitized: "I felt like I was reduced to absolutely nothing." (Summary written by: Annie Anderson)