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Whistleblower Lawsuit Exposes Violence, Cover-ups at Rikers Island Jail
Loaded on Nov. 5, 2019
by Dale Chappell
published in Prison Legal News
November, 2019, page 32
Filed under:
Conditions of Confinement.
Location:
New York.
by Dale Chappell
A former guard at the Rikers Island jail complex in New York City has filed a lawsuit in state court exposing misconduct and cover-ups by staff. A subsequent report by the city’s Department of Investigation (DOI) confirmed evidence of cover-ups of over a thousand prisoner …
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More from this issue:
- News in Brief
- NBC Sends Anchorman Lester Holt to Prison as Part of its “Justice for All” Series, by Chad Marks
- The Cost of Prison Censorship: Florida Taxpayers to Pay $1.2 Million in HRDC Case
- $8,500 Settlement in Allegheny County Jail Sexual Harassment Suit, by David M. Reutter
- $860,000 Settlement in Suit Over Michigan Female Prisoner’s Suicide, by David M. Reutter
- Organization Connected to Missouri Prison Director Gets No-Bid Contract, by Scott Grammer
- Federal Prisoner Challenges Constitutionality of Death Penalty; Gets Plea Deal for Life Without Parole, by Matthew Clarke
- Court Orders Changes to Alabama Prison System After 15 Suicides; Feds Threaten Suit, by Scott Grammer
- Department of Justice Report Shows Small Decrease in U.S. Prison Population, by Scott Grammer
- Compassionate Releases Needed for an Aging Prisoner Population, by Edward Lyon
- Florida Supreme Court Issues Death Penalty Rulings, by Edward Lyon
- Washington State Settles Suit Over 15-Hour-a-Day Lockdown of Mentally Ill Prisoners, by Matthew Clarke
- South Carolina: Lawsuit Alleges Medical Staff, Guards Negligent in Baby’s Death, by Bill Barton
- Usual Cruelty: The Complicity of Lawyers in the Criminal Injustice System, by Alec Karakatsanis, by Sam Feldman
- Arizona Court Grants Partial Summary Judgment to PLN in Censorship Suit, by Matthew Clarke
- Study Finds that War on Drugs Kept Black Men from Higher Education, by Scott Grammer
- Maryland: Parole Changes Needed for Life-Sentenced Prisoners, by Chad Marks
- Man Mistakenly Released 13 Years Ago Won’t Have to Return to Prison, by Douglas Ankney
- Allegheny County Settles Three Lawsuits Over Medical Care at County Jail, by Dale Chappell
- West Virginia Regional Jails Entitled to Sovereign Immunity, by David M. Reutter
- Seventh Circuit: Failure to Provide Medical Accommodation is Deliberate Indifference, by Kevin Bliss
- Three Deaths in Three Days at Illinois Prison Spur Calls for Greater Transparency, by Chad Marks
- Missouri Sheriff Tells Judge that County Won’t Pay for Prisoners’ Food, Medical Care, by Bill Barton
- No Fourth Amendment Violation for Abusive Group Strip Search of Female Prisoners, by Edward Lyon
- Pattern of Abuse and Mismanagement at North Carolina Jail, by David M. Reutter
- $3.1 Million Settlement for Washington Jail Detainee’s Death, by Douglas Ankney
- Seventh Circuit: Non-Medical Prison Staff Entitled to Qualified Immunity, by Douglas Ankney
- New Jersey: Appellate Court Shoots Down $7.5 Million Verdict in Prison Whistleblower Case, by Chad Marks
- Nevada Supreme Court Reverses Dismissal of Prisoner’s Native American Religion Suit, by Matthew Clarke
- Why Not Let Prisoners Vote While Incarcerated?, by Bill Barton
- Ex-Offenders Work for Organization that Repairs and Sells Vehicles at Low Cost, by Douglas Ankney
- Court Declines to Seal Records in Michigan Prisoner’s Excessive Force Case, by David M. Reutter
- New York: Prisoners Have No Expectation to Privacy During Jail Phone Calls, by Chad Marks
- Missouri Jury Awards $113.7 Million to Prison Guards Required to Work Without Pay, by Matthew Clarke
- Muslim Civil Rights Group Files Discrimination Suit Over Virginia Jail’s “God Pod”, by Matthew Clarke
- Whistleblower Lawsuit Exposes Violence, Cover-ups at Rikers Island Jail, by Dale Chappell
- Prison’s Refusal to Allow Wiccan Services Must be Reviewed for Compelling Governmental Interest, by Kevin Bliss
- Conditions Lawsuit Against Indiana County Jail Certified as a Class Action, by Kevin Bliss
- Fifth Circuit Terminates Consent Decree for Muslim Services in Texas Prisons, by Matthew Clarke
- Oregon Prisoner’s Use of Another Prisoner’s Phone PIN Constitutes Identity Theft, by Mark Wilson
- Sex Offenders Excluded from Florida Shelters During Hurricane, by David M. Reutter
- Pennsylvania’s Buck County Liable for Illegally Disclosing Criminal Records, by David M. Reutter
- Alaska Supreme Court Rules Against Muslim Prisoner on Correspondence Ban, by Edward Lyon
- Judge Orders Federal Prisoner with Cancer Released Due to Poor Medical Care, by Matthew Clarke
- Eleventh Circuit: Tasing of Inert Detainee is Excessive Force, by David M. Reutter
- Appellate Court Holds Louisiana Prisoner’s Medical Malpractice Claim May Proceed, by David M. Reutter
- How High-Priced Drugs Cripple Prison Health Care – and Reform, by Priti Krishtel
- HRDC Lawsuit Proceeds Over Care Provided to Florida Prisoner Who Starved to Death, by David M. Reutter
- Victim Notification Law Plagues Alabama’s Parole System, by Kevin Bliss
- Louisiana Enters into Subscription Model Contract for HCV Treatment, by David M. Reutter
- Washington DOC Medical Director Fired for Negligence, by Dale Chappell
- Louisiana Prison Industry Program Puts Profits Before Prisoners, by Kevin Bliss
- Virginia Death Row Conditions Subjected Prisoners to Risk of Harm, by David M. Reutter
- U.S. Department of Justice Plans to Ramp up Federal Death Penalty, by Chad Marks
- Behind Bars, Co-Pays Are a Barrier to Basic Health Care, by Victoria Law
- Oregon Transgender Prisoner Must be Housed Alone or with Other Transgender or NonCisgender Prisoners, by Mark Wilson
- Alabama Prisoners Bring Awareness of Abusive Conditions Through Hunger Strikes, by Kevin Bliss
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- Beyond Estelle: Medical Rights for Incarcerated Patients, by Greg Dober
More from Dale Chappell:
- Arguing Successful Federal Habeas Corpus Claims, June 1, 2025
- How to Take Your Postconviction Case Directly to the U.S. Supreme Court: A Roadmap to Direct Collateral Review, March 15, 2025
- Federal Habeas Corpus for State Prisoners: Proving Unreasonableness Under AEDPA, Feb. 1, 2025
- Federal Court Rules Michigan’s Sex Offender Registration Laws Violate Constitution, Dec. 1, 2024
- Refuting the Government’s Argument Against Nonretroactive Changes in Law as Grounds for Compassionate Release, Oct. 1, 2024
- Federal Habeas Corpus: Getting Around Procedural Default, July 15, 2024
- The Death of the Savings Clause, May 15, 2024
- Federal Habeas Corpus: Understanding Second or Successive Petitions for State Prisoners, April 15, 2024
- Fourth Circuit Reinstates Relief From Death Penalty, Citing State’s Forfeiture of Argument Against Relief, May 15, 2023
- Federal Habeas Corpus: The Evidentiary Hearing for Federal Prisoners, April 15, 2023
More from these topics:
- SCOTUS Continues to Hack Away At First Step Act, July 1, 2026. Conditions of Confinement, PLRA, Post-release, ex-offender, re-entry, Sentences - Corrections or Modifications of, Compassionate Release.
- California Supreme Court Limits Money Bail for Nonviolent Charges, July 1, 2026. Conditions of Confinement, Sentencing, Due Process, Constitutional Challenges/Law, Pretrial Detention and Detainees.
- ICE Stops Reporting Deaths of Recently Released Detainees, July 1, 2026. Misconduct/Corruption, Medical, Conditions of Confinement, Immigration Law/Offenses, Civil Rights Actions or Offenses/Bivens Actions.
- Free Phone Calls Saved Prisoners and Their Families More than $600 Million, Report Finds, July 1, 2026. Conditions of Confinement, PLRA, Prisoner Privileges, Rehabilitation/Recidivism, Telephones.
- New York Governor Appoints Ex-Prisoner to State Oversight Role, July 1, 2026. Classification, Misconduct/Corruption, Conditions of Confinement, Prison Legal News documents, Prisoners' Rights.
- Fifth Circuit Kills Louisiana Prison Medical and Mental Health Care Reform, July 1, 2026. Medical, Conditions of Confinement, PLRA, Immunity/Liability, Mental Health.
- Louisiana’s Atavistic Approach to Criminal Sentencing and Parole Demonstrates Politicians’ Failure to Learn from Past Mistakes, July 1, 2026. Medical, Conditions of Confinement, Sentencing, Parole, Prisoners' Rights.
- New York to Become First State to Require Judges to Visit Prisons, July 1, 2026. Classification, Conditions of Confinement, Staffing, Prisoner Privileges.
- Corrections Board Seeks to Join California Justice Department Juvenile Halls Lawsuit, July 1, 2026. Classification, Conditions of Confinement, Guards/Staff, Discretionary/Inherent Powers, Prison Regulations.
- $25,000 Paid to Former New York Jail Detainee Subjected to Delayed Healthcare and Denied Mental Healthcare— Despite Seven Suicide Attempts, July 1, 2026. Failure to Treat, Conditions of Confinement, Mental Health, 42 U.S. Code § 1983, civil action for deprivation of rights, Deliberate Indifference.

