From the age of 16 on, children are integrated into the general population at Riker’s Island, where the guards routinely engage in brutal, illegal beatings whose video evidence mysteriously disappears.
The DOJ’s investigation is unequivocal in its condemnation, documenting events like guards beating mentally ill inmates until they were hospitalized, then continuing to beat them in the face and head after they were restrained on a medical gurney.
Based on a review of Department 24-hour reports from October 2012 through early April 2014, we identified 64 incidents involving blows to an adolescent inmate’s head or face. This is undoubtedly an underestimate of the number of headshots during this period, because 24hour reports contain only initial incident summaries prepared by staff themselves. Indeed, our review of incidents and witness interviews suggest that headshots were utilized far more frequently during this period. However, the fact that these summaries so often openly refer to headshots is disturbing.
Our consultant reported that headshots are far more common at Rikers than at any other correctional institution he has observed. In many instances, correction officers readily admit hitting inmates but claim they acted in self-defense after being punched first by the inmate. As a threshold matter, even when an inmate strikes an officer, an immediate retaliatory strike to the head or face is inappropriate. Moreover, there is often reason to question the credibility of the officer’s account. These incidents also disproportionately occur in locations without video surveillance, making it difficult to determine what transpired.
CRIPA Investigation of the New York City Department of Correction Jails on
Rikers Island
DOJ Report Details The Massive Amount Of Violence Committed By Rikers Island Staff Against Adolescent Inmates [Tim Cushing/Techdirt]