doi:10.7916/rchc-qx03Oral history interview with Robert Crocker III, 2018Crocker, Robertoral historiesmixed materialMass incarceration--United StatesFamilies, Black--Effect of imprisonment onRecidivism--Black people--United StatesJails--Law and legislation--United StatesBail--Law and legislation--United StatesSolitary confinement--United StatesDrug legalization--United StatesMarijuana--Law and legislation--United StatesPrison discipline--United StatesCorrectional personnelRikers Island (N.Y.)Crocker, RobertRobert Crocker III discusses his childhood in Brooklyn and the influence of his father. He talks about his years as a corrections officer at Rikers Island. He talks about the difference between a jail (like Rikers) that holds detainees who have not been sentenced or are serving a short sentence, and prison, where people are serving a sentence. He details prison conditions, the relationship that guards and inmates have in prisons, the arrest process and his personal views on the legal system as it applies to Black Americans. He discusses how one's ability to pay for the right lawyer can severely impact verdicts and sentencing, and how one mistake can change someone's life, particularly for Black people. He talks about his thoughts on closing Rikers and some structural changes like bail reform and marijuana legalization. He talks about Kalief Browder and how some inmates try to protect themselves in prison by remaining in isolation. He describes the dynamic of being a Black man working in corrections