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Sadistic Rikers Guard May Be Fired For Allegedly Hogtieing And Beating Mentall Ill Inmate Untill The Walls Were Bloody (Picture, Video)
The guards at Rikers Island are notoriously violent toward inmates—especially mentally ill ones—and it’s relatively rare that even documented beatings result in punishment for those responsible. That’s why it’s a surprising, encouraging development that a judge recommended the termination of six employees this week.
Rikers Island Is a Brutal Hellhole for Mentally Ill Inmates
A new report from the New York Times elaborates on what became painfully evident after two recent…Read more
The New York Times reports that in 2012, Robert Hinton, a Rikers inmate on cellblock for people with mental illnesses, was hogtied—cuffed behind his back, with his legs shackled—then carried face-down, by his limbs, into a cell. Minutes later, he had a broken nose, fractured vertebra, swollen-shut eyes, and blood pouring from his mouth.
Yesterday, administrative law judge Tynia Richard published an opinion recommending that the six corrections officers involved be fired. From the Times:
Tynia Richard, an administrative law judge, wrote that the six officers had lied about what had happened; that Mr. Hinton had been handcuffed during the entire episode, and that because such “brazen misconduct” must be put to an end, she was recommending the most severe sanction available: termination of employment for all six.
“Hopefully, it will help break the vise grip that silence and collusion played in this incident,” she wrote.
The city’s corrections department has historically turned a blind eye to stuff like this, but after a federal report and a July Times article on abuse of mentally ill prisoners, attitudes may be slowly changing. Last month saw the resignation of Florence L. Finkle, who directed investigations at the department—a move that was likely related to those investigations. MOREHERE
