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Record Deaths at Rikers Island Blamed on Guards’ Absenteeism, Abuse and Corruption
Loaded on Feb. 1, 2023
by David Reutter, Anthony Accurso
published in Prison Legal News
February, 2023, page 28
by Anthony W. Accurso and David M. Reutter
After 16 detainee deaths in 2021[See: PLN, Feb. 2022, p.1], the carnage continued at New York City’s Rikers Island jail complex in 2022, leaving 19 more people dead. Having recorded an average of just six deaths a year from 2017 through ...
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More from this issue:
- Convictions at Any Cost: DOJ Report Slams Three Decades of Snitches and Due Process Violations in California’s Orange County, by Benjamin Tschirhart
- New BOP Director Clears Up First Step Act Implementation, by Benjamin Tschirhart
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- Incarcerated People Have Few Ways to Fight Back Against Censorship in Prisons, by Tamar Sarai
- Burning Tires Left Louisiana Prisoners With Migraines, Breathing Problems, and Minimal Medical Care As black smoke poured out of a burning tire dump in Louisiana, people inside the prison next door struggled to keep the fumes out., by Alleen Brown
- Ninth Circuit Says Statements Relayed at Criminal Trial By Nurse and Doctor Are Admissible, Not Hearsay, by David Reutter
- $959,000 Paid by Pennsylvania County in Deaths of Two Detainees, Plus at Least $750,000 from PrimeCare, by Ashleigh Dye
- Fourth Circuit Reinstates Virginia Prisoner’s Spoliation Motion for Lost Video of His Alleged Assault by Guards, by David Reutter
- Federal Judge in Pennsylvania Rules BOP Must Honor Transgender Prisoner’s Legal Name Change, by Casey Bastian
- Tenth Circuit Says Prison Work Assignment Covered Under ADA Protections, by Kevin Bliss
- Seventh Circuit: Indiana Prisoner Who Failed to Formalize Grievance Also Failed to Exhaust Remedies, by David Reutter
- Investigation Reveals “Black Market in Broad Daylight” for Prison Food, by Benjamin Tschirhart
- Record Deaths at Rikers Island Blamed on Guards’ Absenteeism, Abuse and Corruption, by David Reutter, Anthony Accurso
- $20,000 Paid by Centurion and MHM Health Professionals to Arizona Prisoner for Alleged Deliberate Indifference and Medical Negligence, by Jacob Barrett
- Third Circuit Strips Qualified Immunity From Delaware Guards Who Held Mentally Ill Prisoner in Solitary for Seven Months, by David Reutter
- Too Many Alabama Prisoners Still Dying with Too-Few Guards, Many Corrupt, by Jo Ellen Nott
- Former Tennessee Police Chief Sentenced to Six Years for Abusing Arrestees, by Kevin Bliss
- Ninth Circuit Revives Failure-to-Protect Claim of Arizona Prisoner Beaten by Gang, by David Reutter
- Florida Jailers Leave Detainees Out of Evacuation Plans During Hurricane, by David Reutter
- Arizona DOC Accused of Cheating Both Guards and Prisoners Out of Hourly Wages, by Keith Sanders
- Ninth Circuit Says California Felons Can Fight Fires While Imprisoned, But Not After, by Benjamin Tschirhart
- Fourth Circuit Says Prisoners with Gender Dysphoria not Excluded from ADA Protection, by Harold Hempstead
- Former Texas Prisoner Wins 12-Year Fight for Justice, by Kevin Bliss
- Student Loan Debt and Prisoners, by Edward Lyon
- Arizona Resumes Executions, by Chuck Sharman, Eike Blohm, MD
- New Report Estimates U.S. Prisons Hold Nearly 50,000 People in Solitary Confinement, by Jennifer Taylor
- After Federal Judge Censors Lawyer’s Tweets About CoreCivic, Company Settles Suit Over Tennessee Prisoner’s Murder by Cellmate, by Harold Hempstead
- Fourth Circuit Says Three-Strikes Federal Prisoner’s Imminent Danger Claim Must Be Evaluated on ‘Totality of Circumstances’, by Benjamin Tschirhart
- Virginia Supreme Court Upholds Derivative Sovereign Immunity for Jail Physician, by Matthew Clarke
- Fifth Circuit: No Qualified Immunity for Mississippi Sheriffs in Suit Over Mentally Ill Man’s Years-long Unlawful Detention, by Matthew Clarke
- Nevada Federal Court Says Prisoner’s § 1983 Suit Should’ve Been a Habeas Petition, But Returns Filing Fee, by David Reutter
- PLN Contributor’s Retaliation Suit Against Oregon Prison Officials Survives, by Jacob Barrett
- Georgia Jails Faulted in Struggle With High COVID-19 Infection Rates, by Kevin Bliss
- Seventh Circuit Trims What Indiana Prisoner Owes Jail Doctor in Lost Lawsuit, by David Reutter
- Under New Mississippi Law, State Chooses Execution Method, by David Reutter
- Prisoner Health Update: Hepatitis C, by Eike Blohm, MD
- Florida Makes Parolees Criminally Liable for Accidental Voter Registration Fraud, by David Reutter
- Award Slashed for Delaware Prisoner Sexually Groped by Guard, by Kevin Bliss
- Oklahoma Jail Guard Gets 46 Months for Setting Up White Supremacist Attack on Black Detainees, by David Reutter
- Federal Judge Refuses to Shorten Corruption Sentence for Former Head of New York City Jail Guards’ Union, by Matthew Clarke
- DOJ Releases Special Report on U.S. Prison COVID-19 Response, by Eike Blohm, MD
- Former Judges in Pennsylvania ‘Kids for Cash’ Scandal Must Pay $206 Million in Damages, by Ashleigh Dye
- $60,000 Paid by Pennsylvania County to Jail Detainee Savagely Beaten by Cellmate While Guards Allegedly Ignored Cries for Help, by Benjamin Tschirhart
- $300,000 Paid by Colorado to Prisoner Sexually Harassed by Guard with Foot Fetish, by Harold Hempstead
- $98,000 Paid by BOP to Immigrant Detainees Racially Profiled as Terrorists in New York City Lockup, by Kevin Bliss
- $480,000 Paid by California County to Detainee Whose Newborn Died After Guards Stopped at Starbucks en Route to Hospital, by Ashleigh Dye
- Former BOP Warden Convicted of Sexually Abusing Prisoners in California ‘Rape Club’ Scandal, by Kevin Bliss
- Fifth Circuit Denies Qualified Immunity to Mississippi Cops Who Let Injured Hemophiliac Bleed Out in Jail, by Matthew Clarke
- News in Brief
More from David Reutter:
- First Circuit: Prosecutor’s Breach of Plea Agreement Requires Government’s Specific Performance of Agreement, Not Specific Performance by District Court, Aug. 1, 2025
- Oregon Prisoners Can Now Seek Economic Damages for Future Lost Income More Easily, July 15, 2025
- $22.5 Million Verdict Arrives Too Late for Wrongfully Convicted Illinois Prisoner, July 15, 2025
- First Circuit Revives Rhode Island Prisoner’s Excessive Force Claim Against Guard, July 15, 2025
- First Circuit Affirms Denial of Qualified Immunity to Maine Guards who Ogled Prisoner During Childbirth, July 15, 2025
- $250,000 Verdict for South Carolina Prisoner Pepper-Sprayed in Face Without Cause by Guard, July 15, 2025
- Eighth Circuit Affirms Judgment for HRDC in Arkansas Jail Censorship Suit, July 15, 2025
- $550,000 Settlement After Juvenile’s Suicide at Charlotte Jail, July 15, 2025
- Seventh Circuit Revives Former Illinois Prisoner’s Claim for Delayed Hepatitis-C Treatment, July 15, 2025
- Sixth Circuit: Michigan Tolling Statute Applies to PLRA Administrative Exhaustion Requirement, July 15, 2025
More from Anthony Accurso:
- Ninth Circuit: ‘Dominion and Control’ Provision of Search Warrant for Suspect’s Computer That Lacked Temporal or Other Limitation Constitutes General Warrant, Aug. 1, 2025
- Nearly $60,000 Awarded to Mother Of Dead Missouri Prisoner In Suit For His DOC Records, July 15, 2025
- $42,000 Paid to Wisconsin Prisoner Allowed to Harm Himself While Under Observation, July 15, 2025
- Ongoing Detainee Deaths Push Rikers Island into Federal Court Receivership, July 15, 2025
- The Dangerous Practice of Late-Night Jail Releases, July 15, 2025
- Percentage Of Prisoners Serving Life Without Parole Is Up Despite Overall Decrease in Prison Population, July 15, 2025
- Colorado Supreme Court Announces Police Facilitating Drug-Detection Dog’s Entry Into Vehicle by Opening Door During Traffic Stop Without Probable Cause Is Unconstitutional Search in Violation of Fourth Amendment, July 1, 2025
- Illinois Supreme Court Announces Entering ‘Blind’ Guilty Plea Does Not Waive Defendant’s Right to Challenge Sentence, July 1, 2025
- $62,500 For Idaho Prisoner Raped by Guard Who Later Committed Suicide, June 1, 2025
- Eighth Circuit Lets Missouri Guard Skate For Placing Avowed Enemies In Same Cell, Resulting In Assault, June 1, 2025
More from these topics:
- News in Brief, Aug. 1, 2025. Assault by Police, Misconduct/Corruption, Guard Misconduct, Police Misconduct, Stun Guns/Tasers, Immigration, False Arrest, Evidence - Integrity/Reliability of.
- News in Brief, July 15, 2025. Staff-Prisoner Assault, Guard Misconduct, Jail Misconduct, Failure to Protect (General), Pepper Spray/Tear Gas, halfway houses, New Trial/Judgment of Acquittal, Bribery/Extortion/Theft, Fraud and Deceit.
- Former New Jersey Jailers Plead Guilty to Beating Detainee for Tossing Urine, July 15, 2025. Guard Misconduct, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Prisoners' Rights.
- From the Editor, July 15, 2025. Staff-Prisoner Assault, Guard Misconduct, Prison Rape Elimination Act, Censorship.
- New Jersey Supreme Court Refuses Guard’s Challenge to Firing for Failing to Report Kiss with Prisoner, July 15, 2025. Staff-Prisoner Assault, Staff-Prisoner Harassment, Guard Misconduct, Employee Litigation.
- 14th Alabama Sheriff’s Employee Pleads Guilty in Jail Detainee’s Death by Freezing, July 15, 2025. Guard Misconduct, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Excessive Force (Wrongful Death).
- Former Wisconsin Warden Gets No Cell Time, $500 Fine After Prisoner Deaths, June 1, 2025. Misconduct/Corruption, Guard Misconduct, Failure to Protect (General).
- News in Brief, June 1, 2025. Staff-Prisoner Assault, Guard Misconduct, Excessive Force, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Ineffective Assistance of Counsel.
- Former Jail Guard Accused of Having Sex with Detainee Now Vice-Chair of Florida GOP, June 1, 2025. Guard Misconduct.
- Three New York Guards Plead Guilty to Beating Black Prisoner in “George Floyd Challenge”, June 1, 2025. Guard Misconduct, Threats by Staff, Failure to Protect (Wrongful Death).