A study has revealed that guards at New York City jails resorted to using force against inmates more than ever last year.
According to the Associated Press, guards at city jails were involved in 11 such incidents per day on average:
Figures obtained Wednesday by The Associated Press via a public records request show correction officers reported using force 4,074 times last year, including 406 incidents alone in September, the month after a scathing federal report that said Rikers Island guards too often resorted to force against teenage inmates.
The Associated Press also broke down the three different categories that uses of force fall into:
Use of force ranges from so-called Class C incidents such as pepper sprayings that result in minor to no injuries, to Class B incidents such as bruises and swelling that can be treated with over-the-counter care, to Class A incidents such as broken bones and deep cuts that require hospitalization.
What's more, these statistics reveal that incidents involving the use of force have been on the incline over the past eight years, even as the inmate population has dropped. Furthermore, they come on the heels of a Board of Correction decision to end solitary confinement for prisoners under the age of 21 and reduce the number of days to 30 for those over that age.
[via Associated Press and DNAinfo]
