«Venters is a role model for using data as a tool for both epidemiology and human rights. In his book, he describes rigorous case reviews and epidemiological studies that demonstrate causes of harm . . . Venters's book impressively demonstrates that too little has been done at Rikers to prevent suffering, violence, and death.
—Hans Wolff MD, MPH, and Robert Greifinger MD, American Journal of Public Health»

«Homer Venter's prescient Life and Death in Rikers Island explains why improving carceral health is important and deserving of more attention. In the COVID-19 era, this argument gains even greater significance . . . The book is also a searing exposé that powerfully illustrates the health risks of incarceration in New York City, as well as those risks that lead to incarceration in the first place . . . This book will be of interest to readers who follow health, medicine, and the carceral system, as well as activists and policy makers working to improve conditions for incarcerated people.
—Ezelle Sanford III, The Gotham Center for New York City History»

«Reporters have virtually no access to the jails on Rikers Island, but, for many years, Venters had a rare vantage point from which to observe its inner workings . . . He left the city's jail-health service in 2017, and now he has written a crucially important book, Life and Death in Rikers Island, in which he examines one of the most overlooked aspects of mass incarceration: the health risks of being locked up . . . Venters reveals the true human cost of these colossal management failures.
—Jennifer Gonnerman, The New Yorker»