Following the mysterious death of an inmate, an investigation has been initiated by the Office of The New York Attorney General, Letitia James, and the New York State Police, as reported by the Department of Corrections. In response to the incident, the Department of Corrections stated, “The Commissioner has placed 11 staff members who were involved in the incident on administrative leave pending the ongoing investigations,” according to a statement provided to USA TODAY.
The circumstances surrounding the death of the New York inmate have raised questions, with officials choosing not to disclose further details about the case on Monday, citing an ongoing investigation. However, The New York Times revealed that multiple prisoners stated in interviews conducted on Sunday that the inmate had been subjected to physical violence by corrections officers prior to his demise.
Efforts to obtain additional insights into the case have been made by USA TODAY, including reaching out to the offices of Attorney General Letitia James and Governor Kathy Hochul. This incident follows a previous tragic event where a state inmate was fatally assaulted by prison guards at Marcy Correctional Facility, situated adjacent to the Mid-State Correctional Facility.
In a separate incident last month, ten former employees of the New York corrections system were indicted in connection with the killing of Robert Brooks, an inmate who was brutally beaten while restrained in a prison infirmary in December. Seeking accountability and systemic change, the Unified Black Caucus, in conjunction with Live and Direct On the Air (Freedom is a Must), organized a rally in memory of Robert Brooks outside Marcy Correctional Facility on Tuesday, January 14, 2025.
Robert Brooks, aged 43, suffered multiple injuries at the hands of officers within the Marcy Correctional Facility in central New York on December 9 and succumbed to his wounds at a hospital the following day. Notably, the officers involved had failed to activate their body cameras; however, footage captured while the devices were on standby mode depicted the officers physically assaulting Brooks while he was handcuffed from behind.
Natalie Neysa Alund, a senior reporter for USA TODAY, can be contacted at nalund@usatoday.com. For more updates, follow her on X @nataliealund.
This article was originally published on USA TODAY: NY officials investigate the death of another inmate, with 11 officers placed on leave.
