Judge orders the release of Rikers Island prisoner because city officials failed to end appalling conditions and 'fight club' at the jail
A New York City Judge ordered the release of a prisoner at Rikers Island after claiming the city violated his constitutional rights by ignoring the squalid conditions and violent 'fight club' at the jail.
In her decision on Wednesday, Judge April Newbauer slammed Department of Correction Commissioner Vincent Schiraldi and Mayor Bill de Blasio, who she claimed 'utterly failed' to prevent the crisis at Rikers.
She said the conditions of confinement for the inmate, only identified as 'Relator G,' amounted to a clear violation of the constitutional right to due process as he was subjected to underground fights at the prison, which were allegedly ignored by a shrinking staff, according to the court documents.
Schiraldi and de Blasio 'utterly failed the public as well as this (detainee) by ignoring the looming threat of a crisis at Rikers Island, by delaying emergency measures as staff shortages increased, and by not adopting an 'all hands on deck' approach to this entirely foreseeable crisis,' the Newbauer wrote.
She added that the Department of Corrections choice not to rebut the claims of abuse made by the inmate 'spoke volumes' to the conditions of the prison.
Judge April Newbauer ordered the release of a Rikers Island prisoner who was allegedly beaten, underfed and force to take part in a fight club while inside the prison this year
Newbauer blamed NY City Mayor Bill de Blasio, left, and Correction Commissioner Vincent Schiraldi for allowing the prison to run under such conditions that it violated the inmates constitutional rights
The judge said the Correction Department's 'deliberate indifference' was what ultimately forced her to release Relator G, who faces a first degree burglary charge, The New York Daily News reported.
DOC lawyer's claimed the jail was taking reasonable care to mitigate risk of harm at Riker's and that the inmate was exaggerating about the injuries he suffered at the prison.
The DOC also objected to Relator G's release because it might 'open the floodgates' for other inmates to argue their release.
The DOC and de Blasio's Office did not immediately reply to DailyMail.com's request for comment.
Relator G was arrested on June 21 in Manhattan, and after entering Rikers, he was held in a waiting room with 15 other people for three days before transferring to a cell, far longer than the required 24 hours, according to court record.
'(The detainee) described squalid conditions, rampant violence among and to detainees, and a lack of essential services such as food and water,' Newbauer wrote.
'(He) ascribed these conditions mostly to a lack of supervision of other detainees who bullied and commandeered resources.'
Relator G alleged that he was attacked by four other detainees during his first days at Rikers. He said the attackers used sharp weapons made out of plastic and metal that left him with bruised ribs and a black eye.
The inmate, known only as Relator G, said on October 19, prison gang leaders forced him and others to fight for their amusement as guards just ignored the situation
The fight night took place after more than a 1,400 staff members were missing from their shifts amid staffing shortages and overworking conditions at Rikers
Security footage of the incident showed that one of the attackers covered the camera with a towel for two hours, something Newbauer said should have been caught within minutes by staff.
When a female guard did come to end the fight and pepper spray the assailants, they ended up throwing heavy objects at her and Relator G.
The inmate was moved to another area of the prison where he was allegedly barely fed for 11 days.
He claimed that inside the prison, gang leaders controlled all the detainees access to food and water while the jail worked on a skeleton crew.
The leaders' power came on full display on October 19, as they held a 'fight night' to watch prisoners beat each other for their amusement, which was recorded on video and ignored by guards, according to the court documents.
The documents also recount an instance where a guard allegedly told prisoners to quiet down and make the fight look less obvious.
Relator G said he was forced to take part in the brawls and fight with all his strength until the leaders were satisfied. He was given food and cigarettes for his fight.
During the event, 1,476 officers were out sick, 31 were AWOL and 73 housing areas were unstaffed, Newbauer wrote.
The absences came as the prison saw thousands of staff members began calling out sick in fall due to chaotic working conditions and understaffing. Between September and late October, Rikers staff were working double and triple hours to make up for the lack of staff.
What Relator G allegedly went through calls back the infamous 2008 'Rikers fight club' scandal, where correction officers essentially deputized gang members to run a housing where they would hold fights.
Christopher Robinson, 18, was beaten to death in December 2008 during the fight nights, bringing attention to the prison conditions.
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