She enthusiastically applauded her fellow graduates as they received their diplomas. She was clearly proud of her accomplishment under such trying circumstances. A young mother of two children under the age of 3, both of whom were born within the confines of jail, she particularly moved me. One inmate in particular, Arisleida Duarte, speaking for her classmates at the ceremony emotionally told the assembly of how the education she received in jail had changed her life. In an environment like Rikers, well known for its crowded, and often violent conditions, to witness the real joy and pride of these young inmate/students, most of who come from disadvantaged backgrounds, as they experienced a rare moment of achievement and accolade was surprisingly moving. The ceremony was attended by many department officials, the Department of Education Chancellor, faculty from the academy and a smattering of parents, friends and relatives of the inmates. What I found out was that 4 of the 26 graduating inmates had agreed to be photographed and I was told that any other inmates I photographed would have to remain mostly unidentified or shot from behind.Ī surprisingly joyous ceremony took place in an auditorium where inmates under heavy guard were marched in to receive diplomas and awards, with caps and gowns covering their green and white prison jump suits. At this point I had no idea what I would be allowed to photograph or what type of scene there would be. Reuters reporter Jonathan Allen and I arrived early at Rikers Island’s main entrance near LaGuardia Airport to meet our Corrections Department escorts and to clear the layers of security into the jail complex to access the graduation ceremony inside. Two massive agencies, the New York City Corrections Department and the New York City Department of Education are responsible for providing high school education to the thousands of young men and women incarcerated in New York’s jails while they await either trial or sentencing through the “East River Academy” on Rikers a school for inmates. After seeing the great work done by my Los Angeles based colleague Lucy Nicholson on two recent stories in jails there, I was eager to see if this assignment might produce a rarely seen look at life inside a jail facility here. When New York staff photographer and assignments editor Brendan McDermid and Editor in Charge Adrees Latif asked me on Monday after I returned from the NBA finals if I would be interested in going to Rikers Island Prison, New York’s notorious massive correction facility to photograph inmates as they earned their high school diplomas, I immediately knew I was interested in this assignment. When it is all over and the pictures have been sent a real sense of relief of knowing you captured the best of what happened on the court in front of you comes. As a photographer, the nerves and the anticipation of trying to make the best possible pictures of that emotion for our clients around the world dominate your focus and attention. From the final game of the 2012 NBA finals in Miami last Thursday night where I was front and center to photograph LeBron James and the Miami Heat as they celebrated clinching the title victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder where the pure joy and excitement of sport was on full display, to a far different type of emotion at a New York City prison where inmates earned their high school diplomas.Īt the NBA finals, hours of preparation, the setting and testing of remote cameras, days of shooting the action of each game in the series and trying to capture the peak of action culminated in the release of emotion the players displayed after reaching their ultimate goal.
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