05.08 New York City Prison Regularly Violating Rights of Adolescent Inmates
MOSCOW, August 5 (RIA Novosti) – The inmate population at New York’s Rikers Island correctional facilities has often been exposed to a practice that violates adolescent inmates’ constitutional rights, according to a US Department of Justice report.
“DOC [Department of Corrections] staff routinely utilize force not as a last resort, but instead as a means to control the adolescent population and punish disorderly or disrespectful behavior. Moreover, DOC relies far too heavily on punitive segregation as a disciplinary measure, placing adolescent inmates - many of whom are mentally ill, in what amounts to solitary confinement at an alarming rate and for excessive periods of time,” the report said.
The federal probe focused on the conduct of Department of Corrections staff between 2011 and 2013. The probe discovered a “deep-seated culture of violence” that is “pervasive throughout the adolescent facilities at Rikers.”
It was revealed that in 2012 there were 517 reported staff use-of-force incidents that resulted in 1,059 injuries; in 2013, the numbers were 565 and 1,057, respectively. The figures are high, especially given the adolescent population of Rikers was 791 in 2012, and 682 in 2013.
The issue of violence against adolescents is only one of several problems that the US prisons are experiencing, in addition to very high temperatures at some correctional facilities, including Rikers.
The high temperatures may pose a threat to those with health conditions such as high blood pressure and diabetes, and those taking certain medications. Earlier in February, Jerome Murdough died in his cell at Rikers. When Murdough was found, the temperature in his cell was over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, or 38 degrees Celsius.
In addition to the problems at Rikers, prisons in Guam, a US-controlled island in the Pacific, are known for their poor conditions due to overcrowding and understaffing, which lead to disciplinary problems, as it is difficult to control the inmate population without sufficient staffing. The inmates in Guam are also said to frequently get into fights with each other.
Concern also comes from other countries besides the United States itself. Russian citizen Roman Seleznev is currently in Guam after being taken there by US authorities from the Maldives. Seleznev is charged with fraud and credit card information theft, and faces up to 30 years in prison. The case is still under investigation.
Additionally, there are instances of US prisons failing to provide medical treatment to inmates. Russian pilot Konstantin Yaroshenko was detained by US secret services in 2010, accused of conspiring with drug smugglers. Presently, Yaroshenko is serving a 20-year sentence at the Fort Dix Federal Correctional Institution in New Jersey and is in need of medical assistance due to dental and cardiac problems. Prison authorities refuse to let him be examined in a hospital.
