id	author	title	date	pages	extension	mime	words	sentence	flesch	summary	cache	txt
cjrl-2313	Johnson, Loretta A.	Protecting the Constitutional Rights of Minority Youth on Rikers Island	2016	29	.pdf	application/pdf	15582	588	45	8 Samuels, Bharara, Powell, & Daughtry, supra note 1, at 1. 9 Id. at 2. 2015 COLUMBIA JOURNAL OF RACE AND LAW 51 51 results in a code of silence.10 The Report concluded that DOC staff members not only insufficiently investigate and report use of force incidents, but also frequently falsify reports.11 The rare times DOC staff members are found to have used force inappropriately, they are nonetheless insufficiently disciplined.12 While the incident with Inmate H is representative of the common vicious practices that occur daily on Rikers, it is unique in that there were multiple witnesses corroborating Inmate H’s version of events, most notably statements from three teachers.13 Inmates, medical staff members and teachers rarely report use of force incidents out of fear of retribution from guards.14 Additionally, it is particularly common for excessive use of force incidents to occur in areas where there are no surveillance cameras, just as was the case with Inmate H, making it difficult to hold DOC staff members accountable.15 The lack of accountability on Rikers Island persists because DOC officers maintain much political clout as members of the largest municipal jail union in the country, the Correction Officers’ Benevolent Association (COBA).16 Moreover, they are led by a powerful president.17 Institutional racism also accounts for the persistence of unconstitutional conduct on Rikers Island.18 Ninety-five percent of the adolescent population on Rikers is Black or Latino.19 New York is uniquely harsh with its treatment of 16- and 17- year-olds, as it and North Carolina are the only states to set the minimum age of criminal responsibility at 16.20 The average number of previous admissions of youth to DOC in 2013 was 1.02.32 The high recidivism rates also mirrors what occurs across the nation, as each year 70-80% of formerly incarcerated youth reoffend within 2-3 years.33 Because the culture of violence on Rikers Island harms adolescents in ways that hurt their future prospects, the practices of DOC staff members decrease long-term public safety because such practices encourage criminal behavior34—behavior oftentimes necessary for survival on Rikers Island.35	cache/cjrl-2313.pdf	txt/cjrl-2313.txt