New York Times - Top Stories

Jan Ransom

Earlier this year, 20 New York State prison guards were charged with handcuffing two inmates and beating them to death in vicious attacks. We set out to learn whether other inmates were abused after being restrained.

Jan Ransom

We found 127 cases over the past decade in which inmates had accused guards of restraining them and then punching, kicking or stomping on them, smashing their fingers in cell doors, striking their genitals with batons or otherwise abusing them.

Jan Ransom

Our reporting identified one prison where nine different men said they were handcuffed and nearly suffocated by guards who pulled plastic bags over their heads.

Bianca Pallaro

We also analyzed prison incident data, staffing figures and inmate population numbers and learned that the rate at which guards have used force against inmates has been rising steadily for years.

Bianca Pallaro

And our analysis showed that when guards were investigated over inmate abuse, they rarely lost their jobs. On at least 377 occasions from January 2000 to mid-October 2020, guards were accused of brutality. Just 28 lost their jobs.