Abstract
The article focuses on a series of rebellions that occurred within the New York City jail system in 1970 over problems of overcrowding and inhumane conditions and the resurgent practice of preventive detention. While championed in the Nixon administration’s vision of ‘law and order’, preventive detention was carried out by John Lindsay, the liberal Republican mayor of New York City, not only against political dissidents, but also against working-class citizens too poor to afford bail. During the course of the October revolts in five facilities including the Tombs, Branch Queens, and Rikers Island, inmates called attention to this practice, winning an unprecedented set of bail review hearings during the course of their takeover of a local jail. These radical prison movements, which were influenced by inmates from the Black Panther Party and Young Lords Party, drew upon discourses of human rights, multiracial unity, and national liberation and also joined calls for broader social transformation. Though short-lived, these events shed light on the contested legacy of preventive detention, a crucial strategic reminder amidst today’s resurgence in ‘law and order’ rhetoric and practice.
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