A Jail Guard’s Tale of His Journey to Inmate
June 3, 2012, 4:26 pm, By COREY KILGANNON
Gary Heyward, once a Rikers Island guard, in Harlem selling copies of his book recounting his experiences. (Todd Heisler/The New York Times)
Gary Heyward stood on 125th Street in Harlem, not far from the Apollo Theater, wearing a jumpsuit that was half blue and half orange.
Mr. Heyward, 44, had this odd-looking uniform specially made — part prison guard, part inmate — to illustrate that at Rikers Island, where he worked as a corrections officer from 1997 to 2006, he went from cop to criminal.
“One day you’re taking the count and the next day you’re in the count,” he said, referring to the jails’ regular head counts of inmates.
This abrupt transition is precisely the angle of his new book, a self-published paperback called “Corruption Officer: Perpetrator With a Badge.”
It is a raunchy tell-all and a critical portrayal of Rikers Island, where Read the rest of this entry »
Warm Southern Breeze 