The main point of the article is to show the ethical and enviromental danger inmates face on Riker Island. This is supported by the description heat emergencies that are risking lives of inmates, air pollution in the facility due to methane gas that is being produced by the landfill it was built on, and the shifting in the ground that is leading to cracking, subjecting facilities to flooding during extreme weather.
The author of the article conducted research my interviewing inmates and looking into legal cases and government actions.
“What they’re calling for instead is a divestment from mass incarceration, along with an end to bail, and an investment in health care, living wage jobs, and mental health treatment that would lead to safer communities.”
"'Sometimes [the detainees] tell [the guards], 'we not locking in becuase its too hot,' Jackson says. Such refusal has often meant calling in the Emergency Services Unit, the jail version of a riot squad. Referred to as 'the turtles' by some detainees, the ESU is known to use extreme force when bringing people back to their cells"
I looked further into land fill decomposition and other "islands" that have been made on landfills. I also looked further into the legal history of Riker Island and the typical inmates that are sent to this facility.
This article relates to public health as the conditions of the island prison are a health concern of themselves and other conditions exacerbate existing health issues of inmates on the island.