A brawl among more than a dozen inmates at a New York City jail plagued by violence has left seven correctional officers injured.
On Friday morning, 14 inmates began fighting in a classroom at Rikers Island, a facility dogged by complaints of mistreatment of inmates. Jail officials quickly ended the fight after using “chemical agents” on the inmates, Department of Corrections Public Information Officer Jack Ryan told The Huffington Post. Ryan did not specify what the agents used were.
The seven officers that sustained injuries in the fight were all taken to the hospital to be evaluated. Ryan described the injuries as minor.
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“Some 7% of the population perpetrate most of the violence in our jails,” Ponte said in a statement. “By letting us manage our most dangerous inmates more effectively, Enhanced Supervision Housing will enable Dept. of Correction to create a safer environment for staff and inmates throughout our facilities.”
In August, the U.S. Department of Justice released a scathing report on the “culture of violence” on Rikers. The report described the “rampant use of unnecessary and excessive force” against inmates in the prison, as well as the over-reliance on solitary confinement as a form of punishment.
Three high-profile inmate deaths over the last three years have also focused attention to conditions on Rikers, as did the heartbreaking tale of 16-year-old Kalief Browder, who was held on Rikers — often in solitary confinement — for three and a half years on a robbery charge that was later dismissed.
