Robert Brooks, the man fatally beaten in a New York prison earlier this month, was repeatedly punched by correction officers while handcuffed, struck in the chest with a shoe, and lifted by the neck before being dropped, according to body-worn camera footage released Friday by the state’s attorney general.
Correctional officials punch Brooks in the face and thigh while he was restrained on a health board, according to the images released by New York Attorney General Letitia James.
What we know so much about the event that has sparked indignation:
The event
- The abuse occurred on December 10, 2024.
- Officials ‘ body camera footage shows Brooks being beaten in the thigh and stomach. He was choked and fiercely restrained on a hospital board at one place.
- Brooks was afterwards seen motionless, bleeding, and stripped to his panties. Medical personnel near did not intervene.
- He was taken to a clinic in Utica and later declared dead, according to NYT.
Also read: Who was Robert Brooks?
The analysis
- Attorney General Letitia James called the video” startling and disconcerting” and has launched an investigation, which may lead to criminal charges against the soldiers involved.
- The Onondaga County medical examiner’s office is conducting an examination, with primary results pointing to suffocation as the cause of suicide, NYT reported.
- Governor Kathy Hochul has directed the termination process for 14 jail people, including 13 soldiers and a caregiver, implicated in the assault.
The film
- Eight body-camera video, released to the public, show Brooks being beaten and dragged, NYT reported.
- The film lacks music, as the officials did not activate audio recording.
- The aggressive actions appeared unwarranted, and no agent in the room intervened to stop the abuse.
Reactions
- Brooks’s home described the video as “horrific” and “devastating”. Their counsel said,” Robert deserved to live, and no one should experience such violence in a custodial service”.
- The New York State Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association criticized the event but pledged to stand by its users.
- The Marcy center, with a majority-Black and Spanish criminal people and mostly white employees, has faced past accusations of cultural bias and abuse.
Background
- Brooks, 43, was serving a 12-year word for first-degree rape.
- On the day of the affair, he had been transferred to the Marcy Correctional Facility.
- Rascal bias and widespread abuse have formerly been the subject of watchdog group investigations in New York’s prisons, including at Marcy.
This situation has drawn national interest, raising serious questions about accountability, widespread prejudice, and brutality in correctional facilities. As studies get going, more improvements are anticipated.
