{"id":289317,"date":"2026-07-07T17:00:10","date_gmt":"2026-07-07T17:00:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/289317\/"},"modified":"2026-07-07T17:00:10","modified_gmt":"2026-07-07T17:00:10","slug":"fear-hate-and-few-consequences-for-ny-prison-officers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/289317\/","title":{"rendered":"Fear, hate and few consequences for NY prison officers"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>A state-commissioned outside probe of New York\u2019s prison system<\/a> found a culture of fear, poor oversight and outdated training as incarcerated people and correction officers alike told investigators they no longer feel safe behind prison walls<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The highly anticipated 277-page review<\/a> by the nationally prominent law firm WilmerHale was launched last year, after state corrections officers beat to death two different inmates, Robert Brooks and Messiah Nantwi, in the course of three months.<\/p>\n

The \u201ctop to bottom\u201d review of the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DCCS), which cost taxpayers nearly $10 million<\/a>, concludes that chronic understaffing, weak accountability and an \u201cus versus them\u201d mentality between officers and incarcerated people have fueled a cycle of violence that undermines rehabilitation.<\/p>\n

Investigators found a culture in which some officers openly mocked colleagues who treated incarcerated people with dignity.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf a correction officer said good morning to an incarcerated individual in max, they\u2019d call the correction officer an \u2018inmate lover,\u2019 \u201d one officer told investigators working with the law firm.<\/p>\n

The report was released late Thursday, on the eve of the July Fourth holiday weekend and roughly a year after state officials initially expected. Its findings echo concerns prison advocates, correction experts and formerly incarcerated people have raised for years.<\/p>\n

The report also found that DOCCS struggles to discipline officers accused of serious misconduct because arbitration frequently overturns or reduces penalties.<\/p>\n

Between 2023 and 2024, most inmate abuse cases in which DOCCS sought discipline against rogue officers ended with reduced penalties or no discipline at all.<\/p>\n

In eight abuse cases where DCCCS sought to fire officers, the report found \u201cthe arbitrators did not uphold any of the terminations.\u201d\u00a0Four officers were hit with lesser punishment while the other four were found not guilty, according to the report.<\/p>\n

The report also noted a massive spike in the use of pepper spray.<\/p>\n

Statewide use \u201crose from 124 instances in 2015 to 4,758 in 2024,\u201d which the report calls \u201cquite stark.\u201d Some of those incidents involved officers spraying \u201cas many as six [bursts] in a row without assessing compliance,\u201d according to the report.<\/p>\n

Investigators also found that Black people locked up are treated worse by the mostly white correction officer workforce.<\/p>\n

Former officers told investigators about colleagues using slurs against Black incarcerated people, with one saying openly racist officers \u201cdidn\u2019t like Blacks. They had hate.\u201d<\/p>\n

A former mid-state officer said of racist colleagues: \u201cI knew which ones were racist. They would refer to the Black inmates as pieces of shit. They didn\u2019t like Blacks. They had hate.\u201d<\/p>\n

Investigators also found that the department\u2019s correction officer academy relies on an outdated paramilitary model that leaves recruits poorly prepared for today\u2019s prisons. The report recommends replacing much of the classroom instruction with scenario-based training emphasizing de-escalation, communication and intervention.<\/p>\n

In a joint statement, Assemblymember Michaelle Solages and state Sen. Julia Salazar said the report \u201cconfirms what many of us have feared since the killings of Robert Brooks and Messiah Nantwi:\u201d that their deaths \u201cwere not isolated acts by a few bad actors\u201d but the result of \u201cinsufficient training, weak accountability, and staffing levels that have collapsed.\u201d<\/p>\n

The lawmakers also pointed to statistics highlighted in the report, noting that DOCCS received nearly 1,200 excessive-force complaints in 2025 but substantiated fewer than 50.<\/p>\n

Thousands of state correction officers went on strike last February following an Albany Times-Union report<\/a> that some officers involved in Brooks\u2019 fatal assault would face criminal charges.<\/p>\n

A killing, a walkout and the fallout<\/p>\n

While the strike lasted around three weeks, the state prison system is still reeling<\/a> from a staffing shortage after New York fired guards<\/a> involved in the wildcat walkout, with some programs and visit hours eliminated or cut short.<\/p>\n

Shortly after the video of Brooks\u2019 fatal beating became public, Gov. Kathy Hochul<\/a> hired WilmerHale, a firm known for its corporate clients and work on high-profile government investigations, to evaluate the department\u2019s policies around use of force, staff accountability and internal oversight.<\/p>\n

The consulting contract was awarded in a no-bid deal. WimerHale\u2019s report concludes that meaningful reform would require years of sustained investment, legislative changes and a commitment by state leaders to transform a prison system that has become reactive rather than proactive.<\/p>\n

Advocates said the report underscores long-standing concerns about conditions inside New York prisons.<\/p>\n

\u201cDOCCS ignored reports like these for decades before they tortured and murdered Robert Brooks,\u201d said Anisah Sabur, a member of the HALT Solitary Campaign who survived solitary confinement in a New York prison.<\/p>\n

\u201cRather than more reports, we need urgent action to expand fair and safe pathways to release from these racist and deadly prisons, and an immediate end to all abuses inside.\u201d<\/p>\n

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