Despite New Vows, Civilized City’s Correctional Service Stalls

In June, Department of Corrections Director Luis Molina submitted a “plan of action” to federal judges overseeing troubled city agencies to clear paperwork so officers could return to guarding detainees. accompanied by an important proposal to hire additional civilian staff to conduct

Reformation of Molina Roadmap Within 30 days, the department promised to “launch a new full-scale recruitment campaign” focused on hiring “staff to fill the civilian roles previously held by uniformed staff.”

But Molina and his team have not hired a single new civilian since the action plan was filed in Manhattan federal court on June 14, and have not disclosed details of any job openings, multiple sources said. Corrected sources and city records.

At stake is the future of the scandal-scarred DOC, with inmate activists and prison experts telling a federal judge overseeing a class action lawsuit dating back to 2011 to appoint a Receiving machine Take over the entire agency.

Laura Taylor SwainHe is the Chief District Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.

Molina and Mayor Eric Adams insist the department should maintain control and need more time to implement reforms.

DOC has repeatedly refused to answer questions from THE CITY about promised hiring and staff turnover.

“We are still working on this for you,” division spokesman Daniel D’Souza said on Sept. 16.

Clerk or Corrector?

According to city officials, the department employed 6,968 corrections officers and 1,486 civilian staff as of July 31. Independent Budget OfficeIn budget negotiations earlier this year, Adams tried to hire 578 new officers, but the city council turned down the request.

The mayor’s proposed budget did not call for hiring additional civilians at the city jail.

According to several former prison officials, unions representing prison guards oppose replacing police officers who perform clerical work and other administrative duties with civilians.

Many police officers have long benefited from being assigned comfortable roles far from the detainees, such as clerical work, driving, tailoring sheets for detainees, and cooking. given as a favor.

“There is little that can be done to reward people,” said former corrections commissioner Vincent Schiraldi. “It’s built into the system.”

When I assumed the chairmanship in June 2021, I was handed a report conducted by Prime Minister Abe. CUNY Institute of State and Local Government According to Shiraldi, it “demonstrated a high percentage of corrections officers working in private posts” in the city’s corrections office.

Ciraldi said every time he tried to put people back on prison service, they complained of illness or claimed they were injured.

“People felt they had escaped from prison,” Ciraldi said. “They will say, ‘I’m not going to jail anymore.'”

President of Correctional Officers Charity Benny Boscio Jr. Horn said he himself was transferred from Rikers to a criminal court in the Bronx by former Commissioner Martin Horn during the Bloomberg administration.

He said he made the move at the request of former COBA chairman Norman Seabrook.

Bosio has taken a complete break from work since being elected union president in 2020.

Molina’s plan of action — created with federal observer Steve Martin — also promised to hire so-called “staffing managers” to develop a new system to ensure officers show up.

Last month, Molina hired Ronald Edwards to fill the role by overseeing board assignments and management.

Edwards has over 20 years of law enforcement experience, most recently serving as Director of Corrections for the Hudson County Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation in New Jersey. His career began as a corrections officer and his K-9 handler.

Several offers for other top spots have been made and new staff will be hired soon, according to sources familiar with the division’s transformation efforts.

Kirigami Patrol

The reason the Department of Corrections has not been “civilized” is because the NYPD has struggled to civilize for decades.

Former police chief Adams welcomes the recent efforts by both agencies.

‘This is the problem of the NYPD,’ says new mayor told reporters in January. “You… hired a police officer to patrol to track down bad guys. That’s why you hired him. He shouldn’t be sitting in the licensing department. His dangerous day It shouldn’t be a piece of paper, he needs to be patrolled.”

The police have been handling paperwork for decades, despite multiple legal rulings ordering the NYPD to replace these officers with cheaper civilians known as police administrative assistants. rice field.

Hundreds of police officers hold full-time clerical positions in the department, according to unions representing administrative assistants.

For years, the NYPD filed quarterly report to the City Council detailing progress on this issue.

but the city report In January, these updates “relied on three different data sets, none of which were consistent with the other,” according to City Comptroller Brad Lander’s first document. Public auditwhich was started by his predecessor.