Carmelo Anthony Gives Some Words Of Wisdom To Inmates On Rikers Island (Video)

New York Knicks superstar, Carmelo Anthony has been working with Vice Sports to educate themselves on street sport cultures from around the world. Stay Melo’s latest episode takes Anthony back to the state he plays in and a hometown of his to visit NYC’s Rikers Island Correctional Facility. Melo caught wind of the rumors of abuse from corrections officers and decided to make a visit to investigate and speak to a group of select 18-21 year old inmates about their experiences of being arrested and spending time behind bars. Carmelo sat with some chosen young men out of that group to listen to their stories and encourage them by tell them not to let anything derail them from their goals of success on the outside.

In the fourth episode of Stay Melo we visit New York City’s notorious Rikers Island jail complex to tour the facility and meet with a group of young prisoners. A statement from Carmelo Anthony below:

Why did you want to visit Rikers Island?
Carmelo: Rikers is a place that we’ve all heard of. I was amazed to find out that it’s the largest penal colony in the world. Recently, we’ve heard and read a lot about abuse and violence there. I wanted to see the situation there for myself, as a New Yorker.

What’s your personal experience with the criminal justice system?
Carmelo: I grew up in the projects in Red Hook, Brooklyn and in Baltimore. You can’t grow up there without seeing many people close to you unfortunately end up in prison.

Why did you specifically choose to visit with young prisoners?
Carmelo: I thought that the young prisoners would have more of a chance to make their situations better once they got home again. I hope by visiting and talking with them, I might play a small part in helping them have a better situation when they’re out.

How did the visit differ from what you expected?
Carmelo: I’m not sure what I expected. I knew it wasn’t going to be pleasant. And, it wasn’t. At all. It was extremely disturbing.

What did you gain from the experience?
Carmelo: 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. And we need to make sure that incarceration leads to rehabilitation.

Watch the inspirational clip below!