New York – The court-appointed monitor overseeing New York City’s jails is concerned that guards are striking too many inmates in the head.
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Steve Martin’s second report since being appointed a year ago was filed in Manhattan federal court Monday.
Martin reviewed 1,700 records documenting uses of force at Rikers Island between March 1 and July 31 of this year.
He found about 235 incidents that involved a blow to an inmate’s head and another 300 that involved an inmate in restraints.
Blows to the head are supposed to be used only as a last resort because they can be fatal.
Martin found guards used force about a quarter of the time after inmates refused to follow a direct order.
Martin says jail violence remains high. He says reform efforts will take hold in time.
Too few people look out for the basic human rights of prisoners.
The prison system is America’s latest version of slave labor. Read the wording of the 13th Amendment. It’s getting bigger and it’s become a privatized industry.
“…Blows to the head are supposed to be used only as a last resort because they can be fatal…”
True as far as it goes…but as one who reviews correctional use of force incident videos weekly, and who develops and writes use of force protocols, I know that this fails to address increasingly common and troubling gang related disturbances in today’s prisons, at least with respect to younger inmates.
Group disturbances really are increasingly common. In many jurisdictions, policies prohibiting OC Spray on young inmates, due to alleged health risks, and prohibitions against the use of batons, leave correction officers with no option to quell a group disturbance other than by intervening physically.
What ensues in these situations is in reality a fight – with the officers taking on the inmates on both sides…while trying to subdue the inmates and, at the same time protecting, both injured inmates and themselves.
Such incidents can run on for a full minute or more; for those officers in the mix, deliberative premeditation isn’t remotely relevant. Head strikes indeed may occur in incidents like this, as do injuries, to inmates and to officers.
the system is very broken. needs a complete overhaul. some facilities are hot as ovens in the summer. having people living under those conditions should be against the law!