Rikers outrage

‘60 Minutes’ vid details inmate’s gruesome death

NEWLY OBTAINED video of a mentally ill Rikers Island inmate’s torturous death shows just how bad his final days were.

Bradley Ballard, 39, died Sept. 11, 2013, after he languished in a jail cell for seven days without access to his meds or medical treatment. Officials said Ballard, who was in Rikers on a parole violation, suffered from schizophrenia and diabetes and likely died of sepsis.

Details of the man’s death have sparked cries for reform. The video aired Sunday by CBS News’ “60 Minutes” could renew debate over whether the troubled lockup should be closed for good.

The video shows Ballard (photo) making a lewd gesture toward a female jailer. Footage from another camera shows him being locked alone in a cell. Ballard is not seen again on video until seven days later, when he’s taken from his cell, placed on a gurney and wheeled away.

In between, other video shows officials looking into his cell. On Sept. 10, an inmate is seen covering his face with his shirt while delivering food to Ballard. Three officers were seen backing away from the cell, “presumably because of the foul odor,” a Correction Department report stated. By the time medical staffers were called, Ballard was sprawled out on the floor and too weak to move. He was rushed to Elmhurst Hospital but could not be saved. “It says that the culture is broken,” U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara, who launched a two-year probe into Rikers, told “60 Minutes.” “It says that the institution is broken.”

The Daily News has reported the state Commission of Correction found numerous jail officials were aware of Ballard’s condition. His death was ruled a homicide, and his family has filed a wrongfuldeath suit against the city.

“It will take aggressive reform to undo decades of neglect,” mayoral spokeswoman Monica Klein said Sunday. Last year, NYC Health and Hospitals Corp. began a transition to take over prison health care from private contractor Corizon.