A deranged inmate nearly strangled a female correctional officer at Rikers Island on Friday night — and another inmate, dissatisfied with his cell block, hit her in the face with a belt. Less than five weeks later, the Post learned.
The shocking and awe-inspiring assault by the hulking inmates left two women injured and their spirits shattered, traumatized victims told The Post in exclusive interviews this week.
“It broke my nose, my eyes went black, and I couldn’t sleep at night. [jumpy] Not yet,” said the 40-year-old police officer, a mother of three, who was forced to dress on Jan. 15 by an inmate who unexpectedly came out of his cell.
“I’m scared to go back to work knowing something like this could happen again,” she continued. “And this time it could be much worse.”
Friday’s victim, a 33-year-old correctional officer, also said he was wary of returning to a prison known for violence after Crips gang member David Reinhart allegedly grabbed him by the throat. Ta.
She fought back, but the 6-foot-4, 210-pound inmate overwhelmed her, she said.
“I tried everything I could to get him to at least let me go,” she said. “But he didn’t let go.”
According to the charges against Mr. Reinhardt, three inmates eventually managed to wrestle him away, and the besieged officers then headed to the hospital.
“Honestly, I’m scared right now,” she said, adding that her arms, knees and back were killing her after the assault. “Now that I’ve been through this, I look at things differently. I hear stories, but I never think, ‘Okay, this is me today.'”
“I’m scared,” she continued. “Are you going to be attacked again?”
Police officers and the unions that represent them are now calling for an end to the ban on solitary confinement as punishment for the most violent prisoners.
They criticized City Council President Adrian Adams for pushing for recently enacted legislation banning so-called “punitive racial segregation.” They claim the law has emboldened inmates and left correctional officers hanging to dry in the process.
“If a similar brutal attack on these two female police officers had occurred on the streets of City Council President Adrian Adams’ council district, she would have been furious and held a press conference condemning these attacks. ” said Benny Bossio, chairman of the Correctional Officers Charity. the association told the Post in a statement.
“Instead, she urged the City Council to pass a law banning punitive racism that gives the most violent offenders a senseless four-hour reprieve,” he continued. “Since when did a police officer’s right to be safe on the job be thrown out the window just because he wears a shield on his chest? This is shameful!”
A prison officer who was beaten last month said he felt he had “no repercussions” for the inmate who attacked him.
“There is a rampant humanitarian crisis at Rikers that is inflicting violence on both detainees and staff, and no one is safe,” a City Council spokesperson told the Post.
“Laws prohibiting prolonged isolation and solitary confinement have not yet taken effect and are intended to address the ongoing harm in city jails that continues unabated under current policies and practices,” the spokesperson said. added the person. “To combat this violence and reduce incidents like this, reforms are needed, including eliminating all forms of solitary confinement and permanently closing Rikers.”
Mayor Eric Adams vetoed a controversial solitary confinement bill in January, arguing that it would make prisons more dangerous for both inmates and staff.
But the City Council ignored his concerns and overrode his veto on January 30th.
In June 2019, New York City completely banned solitary confinement, where prisoners are locked down for 23 hours.
Instead, prisoners had to be allowed to leave their cells. at least 4 hours each dayaccording to the New York City Commission of Corrections website.
The new law goes further, requiring that guards can only isolate inmates who are at immediate risk of violence for up to four hours.
It also allows violent inmates to be kept in isolation for long periods of time, but they must be allowed out of their cells 14 hours a day and have access to the same programs as other inmates.
But the prison has long had problems with its solitary confinement practices, most notably in 2015 when former inmate Kalief Browder, 22, hanged himself.
He spent three years in prison, half of it in solitude. His death sparked a wave of reform efforts, and the city decided to stop using the practice with juvenile inmates.
“Their punishment alone is not enough.”
But union officials claim the city’s decision to end the 23-hour lockdown has led to an increase in assaults on prison officers.
They pointed to recent attacks, both of which occurred at Otis Bantam Correctional Center, as evidence.
In the Jan. 15 incident, a 40-year-old corrections officer told the Post he was attacked during a routine cell check around 7 a.m.
One inmate, Gerber Argueta, said he had covered the windows with sheets.
When she opened the cell door to check on him, the 6-foot-2, 240-pound man allegedly jumped out and punched her in the face.
She and her partner then wrestled and struggled for about nine minutes with Argueta, who was furious at being transferred to civilian life, police said.
Eventually, the two reportedly exhausted him and gained control. But it was the first time she had been beaten and bloody, she said.
Prison officials said her sons cried when they saw her and begged her to find a new job. She added that she is currently dealing with a series of symptoms suggestive of post-traumatic stress disorder.
“I can’t sleep at night,” one Westchester County woman told the Post. “I can’t explain what it is. But I feel like I’m not in the right place. I’m just scared for everyone who sees it.”
A woman told the Post that Friday night’s assault on a 33-year-old female correctional officer involved a similar tactic.
Around 7:50 p.m., as the inmates were sitting in their posts, Reinhardt allegedly began acting strangely, moving erratically, spinning around and throwing himself on the floor. There is.
Suddenly, the alleged gang rapist turned toward her, ran up to her and grabbed her by the throat, she said.
Days after the assault, she said the lack of retribution for badly behaved inmates contributed to the savage assault.
“I feel like these people. Their punishment is not enough to stop them from doing what they’re doing,” said the 33-year-old security guard. “It’s like it doesn’t matter to them. They don’t really care because they’re not being punished.”
She wanted punitive segregation to continue. She said inmates know it’s going away and are acting accordingly.
“It’s like, ‘Okay, I don’t have to do that anymore,'” she says. “Basically, it’s, ‘I’m already in prison, so let’s do whatever I want.’ What else can I do?”
Additional reporting by Tina Moore of Post Wires.
