Rikers Island staff injured in inmate attack at clinic

Three correction officers and a captain were injured during an unprovoked attack by an inmate at the Otis Bantum Correctional Center clinic on Rikers Island on September 5. One officer sustained a fractured nose, while other staff members suffered facial bruising. All four victims were treated at Mount Sinai Queens Hospital and subsequently released.

The Correction Officers’ Benevolent Association (COBA) has criticized the New York City Department of Correction for failing to impose meaningful consequences for violence within the jails. COBA President Benny Boscio Jr. called for stricter security measures, including reduced out-of-cell time and immediate transfers to enhanced supervision units for violent inmates. He also urged prosecutors to seek consecutive sentences for the perpetrator.

Department of Correction Commissioner Stanley Richards stated that the agency will not tolerate violence and will pursue accountability. The department is currently under a federal remediation action plan that requires the submission of security and accountability proposals to a court-appointed manager by October 1.