Skip to content
Authors
Rebecca McCray

Rebecca McCray is a journalist based in New York. You can find her work in New York Magazine, Rolling Stone, Gothamist, The Daily Beast, The Village Voice, Slate, and elsewhere.

Twitter Email
Staying Focused
Sign up for our free newsletter, and we'll make sure you never miss a beat.
Photo of a prison wall with barred windows and two yellow security cameras pointing outwards.
A Decade and $600 Million Later, New York Prisons Still Lack Cameras

After footage of the killing of Robert Brooks sparked national outcry, Governor Kathy Hochul promised to fully equip New York prisons with cameras. The project has stalled for years.

February 3, 2025
a stack of newspapers, with redaction boxes covering the text, behind prison bars
Censoring the News in New York Prisons

New York prisons have banned articles from The New York Times, New York magazine, and local newspapers, often citing their potential to incite disobedience.

May 20, 2024
A collage of book covers, including Richard Wright's Native Son
What You Can’t Read Behind Bars in New York

As book banning sparks outrage in schools and libraries, the censorship of classics like Native Son persists in New York prisons.

January 24, 2024
Anthony Annucci’s Ten-Year Temp Job

Andrew Cuomo named Anthony Annucci acting commissioner of New York prisons back in 2013. Now, someone his agency incarcerates is trying to take him out.

May 4, 2023
Lawmakers, Judge Seek Evidence Behind Prison Package Ban

The prison agency has stonewalled lawmakers’ requests for information justifying the policy.

September 8, 2022
New York Prisons Set to Ban Most Packages from Family and Friends

At the urging of the correction officers union, the prison agency is restricting packages to private vendors that charge steep markups and have limited selections.

May 12, 2022