Carmelo Anthony Calls For Prison Reform After Rikers Island Visit

"We need to make sure that incarceration leads to rehabilitation."

After a recent visit to the Rikers Island jail in New York City, Carmelo Anthony has decided that the time for prison reform is now.

The Knicks star checked out the jail complex for the latest installment of Vice Sports' "Stay Melo" video series, and the takeaways for the 31-year-old were clear.

"We need to do a better job making sure non-violent offenders don’t end up in the same prison situation as highly violent repeat criminals," Anthony said in Q + A with Vice Sports after the visit. "And we need to make sure that incarceration leads to rehabilitation."

Anthony, who spoke one-on-one with some of of the inmates, was obviously taken aback by the daily living conditions of the prisoners inside of the jail.

“The dormitory was mind-boggling. It was like a big sleepover. I think they said it’s 32 people in there,” Anthony said. “It’s no division. So you’re sitting in there, you’re eating in front of everybody, you’re changing your clothes in front of everybody. That s**t is sad.”

Anthony said he saw many people who were close to him go to prison when he was growing up in the projects in both Brooklyn and Baltimore. Now, he has an idea of what they dealt with while they were incarcerated.

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