jnv512
09-09-2002, 08:03 AM
Legal Aid Society files brutality suit against Department of Corrections
September 7, 2002, 5:19 AM EDT
NEW YORK (AP) _ A lawsuit filed on behalf of 22 current and former prisoners charges that corrections officers routinely abuse inmates and cover up evidence of brutality.
The Legal Aid Society, joined by two Manhattan law firms, filed the suit against the Department of Corrections on Friday in U.S. District Court in Manhattan.
The suit alleges that officers beat prisoners "as punishment for perceived disrespect, or simply to assert their authority." It says the prisoners have suffered serious injuries, including a perforated ear drum and a broken eye socket.
In addition, the suit claims that guards hide the evidence of abuse by filing false reports or persuading prisoners not to report the cases. The prisoners are seeking compensatory and punitive damages for their injuries.
Officials for the Department of Corrections referred questions on the lawsuit to the city's Law Department. A spokeswoman for the city's corporation counsel, Kate O'Brien, said she could not comment because the litigation was pending.
The Legal Aid Society has filed similar suits in the past; the city settled one such case in 1998.
Copyright © 2002, The Associated Press
September 7, 2002, 5:19 AM EDT
NEW YORK (AP) _ A lawsuit filed on behalf of 22 current and former prisoners charges that corrections officers routinely abuse inmates and cover up evidence of brutality.
The Legal Aid Society, joined by two Manhattan law firms, filed the suit against the Department of Corrections on Friday in U.S. District Court in Manhattan.
The suit alleges that officers beat prisoners "as punishment for perceived disrespect, or simply to assert their authority." It says the prisoners have suffered serious injuries, including a perforated ear drum and a broken eye socket.
In addition, the suit claims that guards hide the evidence of abuse by filing false reports or persuading prisoners not to report the cases. The prisoners are seeking compensatory and punitive damages for their injuries.
Officials for the Department of Corrections referred questions on the lawsuit to the city's Law Department. A spokeswoman for the city's corporation counsel, Kate O'Brien, said she could not comment because the litigation was pending.
The Legal Aid Society has filed similar suits in the past; the city settled one such case in 1998.
Copyright © 2002, The Associated Press