New York City jail guards reported more use of force against inmates in 2014 than ever before and a скачать в хорошем качестве

New York City jail guards reported more use of force against inmates in 2014 than ever before and a

(15 Jan 2015) FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBER: apus024148 New York City jail guards reported more use of force against inmates in 2014 than ever before _ an average of 11 incidents a day ranging from pepper sprayings to punches _ amid heightened scrutiny from federal prosecutors to clean up what they call a "deep-seated culture of violence." "The reports are significant because they come in the face of a heightened scrutiny at Rikers Island in the past year," said Associated Press reporter Jake Pearson. Figures obtained by the AP 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 increase in the use of force is alarming to some because they say it shows that not enough is being done to prevent guard brutality," Pearson says. Another report shows that a yearlong city probe of jail hiring practices found systemic problems with the Department of Correction hiring system, including no recruiting strategy for the past six years, that allowed an alarmingly high number of hires who had arrest records, gang ties or other red flags that are markers for corruption. "Some of the other applicants had hundreds of thousands of dollars of debt, which investigators say makes them susceptible to corruption and manipulation. Others admitted they had regularly associated with gang members in their teenage years and continue to have contact afterwards." City investigators randomly pulled 153 application files of guards hired last year and found that 54 _ or 35 percent _ "presented significant red flags that should have either precluded their hiring outright or required further follow-up." The probe found 79 hired officers admitted having friends or family members who were inmates _ including one with nine relatives who had done time in Rikers. Ten new hires had been arrested more than once, and another 12 had been rejected by the significantly higher standards of the New York Police Department, including six for psychological reasons and one who failed a drug test. In all, this group appeared "simply unfit for law enforcement _ whether working on the streets of New York City as police officers or in its jails," according to the report. Jails Commissioner Joseph Ponte, who has pledged to reform the troubled correction department, said in a statement he was committed to "improving staff recruitment, training and retention" and would implement many of the investigators' recommendations. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...