Leaders of the city jails are withholding information about grisly incidents, including a case in which a detainee was viciously beaten then left naked and ignored by staff for hours, according to the federal monitor overseeing Rikers Island.
In a “special report” filed in federal court, Federal Monitor Steve J. Martin took aim at Correction Commissioner Louis Molina over the handling of five incidents in city jails in May that Martin said are representative of a larger trend. The report criticizes city officials for failing to properly investigate correction officers’ lethal use of force and neglecting to provide emergency medical care.
“Serious, life-altering harm has occurred, and an imminent risk of harm to others in custody remains,” Martin wrote. He said that the department appears to be violating court orders intended to keep detainees safe.
In a statement, Molina did not address the specific incidents referenced in the new report, but asserted that safety, staff absenteeism, training, hiring and the transportation of detainees to court has improved since he was appointed by Mayor Eric Adams in January 2022. “We have brought this organization back from the brink of collapse and we will not be deterred in continuing our good work,” Molina said.
The report stems from information that the monitor gleaned via outside sources and video surveillance, notwithstanding the alleged lack of cooperation from Molina and department brass, about injuries and death in May involving five detainees:
- A detainee in his 80s with “possible cognitive impairment, seriously underlying health issues and limited English proficiency” was handcuffed behind his back and left alone in a pen without a sink or toilet for at least four hours on May 20, shortly after he arrived at Rikers. The incident began after the detainee refused to enter a holding pen, and staffers “pulled and twisted his arms for approximately 30 seconds” to get him into restraints. An unnamed…
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