{"id":8110,"date":"2014-12-18T11:33:12","date_gmt":"2014-12-18T19:33:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/?p=8110"},"modified":"2014-12-31T20:34:33","modified_gmt":"2015-01-01T04:34:33","slug":"justice-department-joins-inmates-civil-rights-lawsuit-rikers-island-allegeding-brutality","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/?p=8110","title":{"rendered":"Justice Department Joins Inmates’ Civil Rights Lawsuit Against Rikers Island Allegeding Brutality"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"usdojseal\"<\/a>NEW YORK<\/strong> – The U.S. Justice Department filed legal action against the city of New York in connection with alleged violations of the constitutional rights of young inmates by the use of unnecessary and excessive force against these prisoners, officials said Thursday.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith this filing, the Department of Justice is taking an important step to ensure the safety and constitutional rights of young people incarcerated at Rikers Island,” said Attorney General Eric Holder. “We\u2019ve seen alarming evidence of unnecessary and excessive use of force against juveniles, as well as a systemic failure to protect them from violence and deeply troubling — and potentially scarring — use of solitary confinement.”<\/p>\n

Adding, “This action allows the Justice Department to seek necessary reforms to remedy these unlawful conditions, to ensure fair treatment, and to provide all incarcerated young people with the protections, and opportunities to build better futures, that they deserve.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The Justice Department asked the court to join the pending class action lawsuit \u00a0– New York City, Nunez v. City of New York, which alleges that the Department of Correction has engaged in a pattern and practice of using unnecessary and excessive force against inmates.<\/p>\n

The Implementation of 70 Courses of Action<\/strong><\/p>\n

On August 4, 2014, the Justice Department issued a report that concluded that \u201ca deep-seated culture of violence is pervasive throughout the adolescent facilities at Rikers, and the New York’s Department of Corrections staff routinely use force not as a last resort, but instead as a means to control the adolescent population and punish disorderly or disrespectful behavior.\u201d<\/p>\n

The report urged the City to adopt and implement over 70 specific remedial measures.<\/p>\n

Although there have been some positive steps by the state’s Department of Corrections in response for this report, including reducing the inmate-to-staff ratio, developing new programming, and moving toward eliminating the use of punitive segregation, much more needs to be done, officials said.<\/p>\n

The Justice Department alleges that state officials have been indifferent to the constitutional rights on these young inmates, ages 16 to 18, and this has resulted in “serious psychological and emotional harm” to them, officials maintain.<\/p>\n

The Justice Department filed a 36-page so-called Complaint-in-Intervention in its legal filing. \u00a0Like the August 4, 2014, report, the Complaint focuses on use of force by staff, inmate-on-inmate violence, and the use of punitive segregation.<\/p>\n

Specifically, the Complaint alleges:<\/strong><\/p>\n