A little-known legislative change can be a positive addition to the rush to bring needed reforms to the most dangerous piece of real estate in New York City — Rikers Island.
As The Post’s Carl Campanile recently reported, sitting on Gov. Cuomo’s desk is legislation mandating that crimes committed on Rikers be prosecuted by Queens District Attorney Richard Brown instead of Bronx DA Robert Johnson, as under current law.
Most New Yorkers won’t notice. But for the men and women who have arguably the toughest job in the city, it can be a life and death issue.
As Correction Officer’s Benevolent Association President Norman Seabrook told The Post, his union doesn’t believe Johnson gives prison guards the “benefit of the doubt” during violent encounters between officers and inmates.
Johnson has been quick to prosecute guards after violent encounters with inmates, but less so the inmates. The officers also believe that restoring punitive segregation for violent inmates (i.e., solitary confinement) could help quell some of the violence at Rikers.
Alas, between a federal probe and a New York Times series highlighting abuses against inmates, the trend is to push back on the use of solitary confinement.
On Thursday, Mayor de Blasio signed legislation requiring officials to provide considerably more paperwork on inmates subject to solitary confinement.
Earlier this month, the New York Civil Liberties Union called for an end to the practice.
Yes, solitary is a harsh punishment. But along with segregating and helping to control dangerous inmates, it’s also meant to deter future violence — by them and others. Besides, what are the alternatives? Inmates already are incarcerated.
The federal, city agency and media reports have generally placed the focus on Rikers violence as perpetrated by correction officers on inmates. We make no excuses for correction officers who abuse inmates. But there’s much context missing.
To begin with, reports making guard-on-inmate abuse the central problem overlook the day-to-day violence guards suffer from inmates. Not to mention that the greatest threat to inmates is violence from other inmates.
It doesn’t help that the 12,000 people incarcerated at Rikers constitute a highly diverse population. These include the homeless, the mentally ill, the innocent or the overnight drunks — and then the rest, who are the worst of the worst.
Officers have to keep peace among them all while protecting themselves, too. That’s a tall order, especially if, as Seabrook says, assaults on correction officers aren’t taken seriously.
We urge Gov. Cuomo to do the right thing, sign the legislation on his desk — and turn Rikers over to a district attorney who will take on the violent.