Seventeen people - including Rikers Island inmates and correction officers -- were arrested Thursday as part of a takedown of a contraband smuggling operation at Rikers Island.

Joseph Ponte decided to gamble on big changes for the staff – and inmates – that he believes will stop the cycle of violence.

A city detainee was slashed on the side of his face and arm by two other inmates during a bloody brawl on Rikers Island Thursday.

THE BRONX — A week after being transferred to a unit housing Rikers Island’s most violent inmates, a correction officer was beaten allegedly by an inmate recently sentenced for killing his mother, cutting up her body and taking a selfie with her decapitated…