Probe in Rikers beating deathBY Frank Lombardi
In the wake of the beating death of a teen inmate, authorities are cross-checking phone numbers of calls by Rikers juvenile inmates with those of correction officers.
Correction Commissioner Martin Horn said Monday at a City Council hearing that calls were being checked against the "known phone numbers of our correction officers."
"We take a back seat to no one with respect to the aggressiveness with which we pursue and take action against wrongdoing," Horn said.
The legislative scrutiny was prompted by the death of Christopher Robinson, 18, whose bruised body was found in his jail cell Oct. 18.
Bronx prosecutors charged that Robinson was fatally beaten by a gang of inmates called the Team - enforcers for correction officers.
A Jan. 22 indictment named three correction officers and 12 adolescent inmates.
Inmates have been reluctant to complain about threats or beatings by other inmates or guards.
Their calls home to relatives are monitored to detect hints of intimidation or other misconduct by correction officers, according to Horn.
Calls made by correction officers aren't being monitored, he said, but more surveillance cameras have been installed to monitor both inmates and officers.
Intense integrity training has been put in place, he said, along with adding an additional officer per shift at the more violence-prone dormitory units.
Horn said he could not talk about specifics of the Robinson case because of the pending criminal case and a civil suit by Robinson's family.
Nancy Ginsburg of the Legal Aid Society testified that "a culture of violence has developed and been allowed to continue" in the teen inmate facility.
Correction Commissioner Martin Horn said Monday at a City Council hearing that calls were being checked against the "known phone numbers of our correction officers."
"We take a back seat to no one with respect to the aggressiveness with which we pursue and take action against wrongdoing," Horn said.
The legislative scrutiny was prompted by the death of Christopher Robinson, 18, whose bruised body was found in his jail cell Oct. 18.
Bronx prosecutors charged that Robinson was fatally beaten by a gang of inmates called the Team - enforcers for correction officers.
A Jan. 22 indictment named three correction officers and 12 adolescent inmates.
Inmates have been reluctant to complain about threats or beatings by other inmates or guards.
Their calls home to relatives are monitored to detect hints of intimidation or other misconduct by correction officers, according to Horn.
Calls made by correction officers aren't being monitored, he said, but more surveillance cameras have been installed to monitor both inmates and officers.
Intense integrity training has been put in place, he said, along with adding an additional officer per shift at the more violence-prone dormitory units.
Horn said he could not talk about specifics of the Robinson case because of the pending criminal case and a civil suit by Robinson's family.
Nancy Ginsburg of the Legal Aid Society testified that "a culture of violence has developed and been allowed to continue" in the teen inmate facility.
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