Reporter Hilary Howard explains what the worst-case scenario could look like in a city that is mostly a cluster of islands. Its inlets and rivers rise and fall with the tides.

We reported on several deaths in the prisons, including the ones mentioned, at the time they happened. This report includes many cases that didn't end in death.
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The line before it in the story: The killings caused a brief reckoning this year within the walled-off world of New York’s prisons, resulting in criminal charges against 20 of the officers involved and sending officials scrambling to try to portray the episodes as unacceptable aberrations.

State prison guards say they are doing so because their jobs have become more dangerous. A @nytimes.com analysis points to a different reality. Here is what their analysis showed:

The rate at which staff members have used force against inmates has been climbing steadily for the past decade. But interviews with watchdog officials, prisoners’ advocates and prisoners suggest that instances of the most egregious abuse have increased significantly in just the past three years.

The Times identified 120+ instances in which guards were described as having punched, kicked or stomped on inmates, smashed their fingers in cell doors, held their legs apart and struck their genitals with batons, and even waterboarded them — all while they were handcuffed or otherwise restrained.

Also:
- Laura Dunn, a civil rights lawyer who spent much of her career defending women and assault victims
- Liam Elkind, who announced before Nadler bowed out
- Jami Floyd, who hosted “All Things Considered” for 5 years
- Alan Pardee, who had top roles at Merrill Lynch and Mercury Capital Advisors

Jack Schlossberg, the grandson of John F. Kennedy, said earlier this month he would run. Schlossberg, 32, is perhaps best known as a social-media political commentator and provocateur who has frequently weighed in on national issues.

Micah Lasher was one of the first to enter the race. In a video announcing his candidacy, Lasher, a state assemblyman who represents the Upper West Side, outlined policy proposals that included raising the federal minimum wage and passing “Medicare for All.”

Erik Bottcher, a Democratic city councilman from downtown Manhattan, entered the race last week. Bottcher argued that his experiences as a gay man and L.G.B.T.Q. rights activist had made him prepared to face a fractious moment in American politics in ways his rivals were not.

Alex Bores, a Democratic state lawmaker in Manhattan, announced in October he would run. Bores, a former software engineer, said the rapid pace of technological advancement and its implications for American democracy had compelled him to run.

Two just jumped into the race this week: Cameron Kasky, a Parkland school shooting survivor and co-founder of the gun control group March for Our Lives and Mathew Shurka, an LGBTQ rights activist who co-founded the group Born Perfect in opposition to conversion therapy.