Rikers Island violence investigated by DOC
So this statistic, according to this New York Times article talks about the recent doubling of claims (to learn how to file a notice of claim against the City or Rikers Island, click here) against corrections officers in Rikers Island, OBCC in particular. This begs the question, why? Is it because the amount of CO on inmate violence has increased, or because inmates are now aware that they can file claims? The City’s stance will likely be, neither – it’s that inmates realize they can make a quick buck so they lie, file a claim, and get some money and that in fact CO assaults on inmates has actually gone down. Whoever, you want to believe, or whatever stance you take on this chicken-or-egg debate is up to you. But typically when there are numerous “obvious” answers to a difficult question, the real answer is “all of the above.” Perhaps CO on inmate abuse has gone up a bit, perhaps that in conjunction with inmates learning about their options has also increased the number of claims. Perhaps some inmates pick fights, get minor injuries and puff them up to claim victim is also at play. But most likely all of those reasons are to blame. Feel free to leave a comment and let me know your thoughts on the matter. I’m sure there are reasons that I haven’t thought of as well!
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