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NEW YORK (AP) — New York City’s official World Cup guide lists no less than 100 free places to take in soccer’s biggest tournament on big screens. One place that isn’t listed? The city’s notorious Rikers Island jail complex, better known for its overcrowding and violence than for hosting social events.
But more than 100 inmates were rewarded with a special viewing of the World Cup semifinal match Wednesday between England and Argentina because of their model behavior behind bars.
The inmates, dressed in tan uniforms, took seats at tables facing a large projection screen set up in a gymnasium. The jail has hosted about 90 such watch parties since the tournament kicked off last month, with about 4,500 of the roughly 6,600 inmates incarcerated on the 400-acre island participating, correction officials said.
“Programs like this equal safety in our jail,” said Stanley Richards, the city’s correction commissioner and a former Rikers inmate....
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