“Soft’ City Strategy Fails Jails

To the Editor: The politics of New York City and the policies of the Department Of Correction (DOC) have everyone losing in the NYC jails. And when I say losing, I mean inmate faces slashed with razors, sexual assaults, splashings with urine, dirty mop water, spoiled milk, spittings, beatdowns, etc.

The heads of the DOC claimed several years ago they would change the (jail) culture to comply with the current political culture. Additionally, a Federal Judge handed down a ruling that further tightened the restrictions on staff using force in dealing with violent or resistant inmates and increased the penalties for mistakes by our staff. Penalties for inmates for acts of violence, other crimes, and rule violations were dramatically reduced, often reduced to nothing. As a result of this, there is an increase in violence in the jails and especially assaults on staff.