A case in point
Rikers officer cut as panel mulls rising violence
HOURS AFTER a public hearing detailing an alarming increase in assaults on correction officers, another one was cut in the face by an alleged gang member on Rikers Island, records show.
According to an internal department record of the attack, inmate Benjamin McMillan cut an officer at the George R. Vierno Center on Rikers at 7:54 p.m. Tuesday. The wounded officer was treated and released at a nearby hospital.
McMillan, an alleged member of the Bloods, is in jail facing felony assault charges and is now expected to be hit with additional charges.
The union representing jail officers blamed Mayor de Blasio and other elected officials for the latest violence.
“We should not have to beg the mayor, the City Council and the Board of Correction to keep us safe,” said Elias Husamudeen, president of the Correction Officers’ Benevolent Association.
“As long as they remain soft on crimes committed behind bars, jail violence will continue to rise in the city’s jails, jeopardizing thousands of lives.”
A department spokesman said the attack was under investigation.
Earlier Tuesday, the city’s Board of Correction talked about the “unacceptable” increase in attacks on correction officers.
“This violence is unacceptable and requires a recommitment from all parties, including this board, to improve and expand existing violence prevention programs,” said Derrick Cephas, the board’s acting chairman.
Correction Commissioner Cynthia Brann placed part of the blame on restrictions placed on officers. “Why is it that the (city) police are praised for the same approach to reducing crime and increasing safety, but Corrections is vilified?” she asked.
She also defended the department’s Enhanced Supervision Housing unit, where problem inmates are placed instead of solitary confinement — and which has come under fire.
Critics of the unit, which has added programs and counseling since October 2014, say inmates sometimes remain there too long.
Brann and jail officer union leaders are pressing the board for more power to discipline violent inmates,while inmate advocates have opposed any changes to the disciplinary system, citing potential officer abuses.