A 'Culture of Violence' at Rikers Island
Excerpt: "A much-anticipated investigation by the Justice Department has uncovered what amounted to a chamber of horrors at Rikers Island, where teenagers were beaten and battered for minor infractions by correction officers who acted without fear of discovery or punishment by senior officials. "
Inmate workers at Rikers Island. (photo: AP/Bebeto Matthews)
A 'Culture of Violence' at Rikers Island
06 August 14
much-anticipated investigation by the Justice Department has uncovered what amounted to a chamber of horrors at Rikers Island, where teenagers were beaten and battered for minor infractions by correction officers who acted without fear of discovery or punishment by senior officials. The report, released on Monday by Preet Bharara, the United States attorney in Manhattan, documents “a deep-seated culture of violence” that demands immediate remedial action by New York City, which is now at risk of facing a federal lawsuit if it does not take the steps outlined in the report — which wisely calls for removing adolescents from the jail complex altogether.
The investigation, which focused mainly on conduct from 2011 through 2013, said that the “number of injuries sustained by adolescents is staggering ” and that the youths were in constant danger of physical harm even when they presented no risk to the system or safety of the staff. Nearly 44 percent of the adolescent male population in custody as of October 2012 had been subjected to the use of force by the correctional staff.
Further, the report said, force was routinely used not so much to keep order but for the express purpose of “inflicting injuries and pain.”
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