Getting rougher at Rikers

USE OF FORCE against inmates at city jails has jumped by 13% so far this fiscal year, officials said Monday.

The stats come the week after a federal monitor reported the city Department of Correction “has not made significant progress” to reduce violent officer beatdowns despite new leadership and added resources over the past two years.

In addition to the spike in use of force, correction officials told the City Council that assaults on staff at trouble-plagued Rikers Island and other jails have increased 8% in the first nine months of the 2018 fiscal year, which began in July, compared to the same period last year.

But during the same period, stabbings and slashings were down 41% and fights between inmates fell 6.4%.

“Our reforms have yielded significant results, but we still have a long way to go,” said Deputy Commissioner Timothy Farrell.

The federally imposed monitor found that use of force has continued to increase even as the inmate populations fall.

Farrell said the Department of Correction is launching an action plan to cut down on use of force, which includes deploying teams to deescalate incidents, and gathering more intel on gangs to prevent violence.