Rashawn Jones was quick to understand that a female counselor with enormous influence over routine operations at the Bronx juvenile jail would be necessary for him to be safe there.
But when Jones, next 16, was called into Natalie Medford’s company at Horizon Juvenile Center— where he was locked up in 2012 for snatching another boy’s smartphone— he said she , offered him a deal , that may make or break his time in detention.
” If I look out for her, she’ll look out for me”, Jones recalled being told, an event outlined in an appointment with the Daily News and in court documents.
According to Jones and a complaint filed this spring in Bronx Supreme Court, Medford pulled down his pants and engaged in oral sex before pulling him down. He was more than twice Jones ‘ time.
” After that first change, I knew exactly what it meant”, he said. Joneses claims that Medford biologically abused him five days while he was detained.
Jones was one of the few defendants who claimed Horizon’s staff sexually abused them. They are among , 250 past detainees , who have filed a blockbuster legal claim, already suing New York City over physical abuse in adolescent prison. Their civil claims are being brought under a regional legislation that has partially lifted the gender-based assault statute of limitations.
Wrongdoing dating back years
Medford , made headlines , in the late 2010s for three national lawsuits against the town that named her and , accused her of physical abuse. She filed counter claims against the town and the survivors, saying the claims were false and destructive, and , demanded they give up , for the harm they reportedly caused. The fits were all finally settled.
According to the most recent issue, her reported misconduct dates at least 2005, more than the extent that is widely known.
The Administration for Children’s Services, which operates adolescent prison, confirmed Medford was employed by the town from 2005 to 2015. Up until 2016, pay data reveal that she continued to receive federal investigations.
Although ACS has a “zero-tolerance scheme” on sex abuse that could lead to termination after a thorough investigation, an agency spokesperson did not specify whether Medford was terminated or whether the matter was brought up for prosecution.
The lawsuit criticizes the city’s policies and procedures, which the plaintiffs ‘ lawyer called inadequate, and a” culture of secrecy” in its juvenile jails, and is not named as a defendant in the lawsuit.
” As bad as Natalie Medford’s wrongdoing was, this is not a case of a single negative artist in the system”, said Jerome Block, a companion at Levy Konigsberg LLP. Her conduct is in good agreement with a design and pattern of physical abuse that we’ve witnessed among many of these grownup juvenile detention staff members, which has had an impact on hundreds of our clients.
Another claimant, Gamel McFarland, was in , Horizon , a few years before than Jones. After fleeing home violence, he had recently returned to New York from Ohio, where he had previously lived with his mother, and was battling with his father, who had spent most of his existence both inside and outside of jail. He claims that after being forced to assault and steal a few hundred dollars from an older gentleman, he claims to have turned to a family companion he thought was a cousin.
At Horizon, McFarland, next 16, received special treatment from Medford, according to discussions and the complaint. As he remembers it, she smuggled in Burger King from next door or pot between two cakes, and , let him use her telephone. He claimed that she sneaked her into the facility’s area while passing letters between McFarland and a feminine defendant dressing her in a man’s outfit.
Medford started visiting McFarland’s place before her move ended, telling him tales about her ex-husband and kissing him on the cheeks, according to the complaint and discussions. He claimed that during those stories, she would tickle his genitalia over his clothes or while he was dressed.
” She’s talking to me while she’s doing this”, he said. She” threw advantage to my feelings and emotions,” so you kind of have no choice but to say I do n’t care at all or to feed into it.
According to the complaint and interviews, Medford had promised McFarland a birthday party that he claimed they had celebrated up after his release by engaging in sexual activity. He and judge records claimed that she eventually coerced him into sharing her house with her.
” I feel like it changed me in ways that I honestly did n’t start realizing until recently”, he said. Even after I started trusting people, I still felt like she was going to have my back on some things. That also affects me with citizens, especially since I believe they really do care or that they actually care about what they say or how they feel.
Warning symptoms
According to the lawsuit, a Horizon staff contacted the town Department of Investigation about Medford, saying she was found , “naked on top of the inmate inside of the detainee’s cell” , , The News reported in 2017. The Bronx district attorney’s office confirmed at the time that its child abuse and sexual acts system was looking into the case, but it did not respond to requests for post last week on the outcome.
Manhattan federal lawyers also , launched a probe , into allegations of sexual abuse at Horizon Juvenile Center in the Bronx, according to a 2018 press statement. As claims were filed, a Horizon supervisor , ordered information related to the case to become shredded. There is no evidence that arrests were made.
While the Law Department is reviewing the circumstance, ACS representative Marisa Kaufman stated that the current administration has taken steps to stop sexual victimization from occurring in its facilities.
Each center has a adherence manager who follows the law, and other employees must carry out at least one unannounced inspection each shift, according to the organization. All armed personnel who interact with detainees must pass a yearly “refresher” and an initial sexual misconduct training.
” Sexual abuse and harassment , is horrible and intolerable, and we take these claims against a former employee really seriously”, Kaufman said. It is our goal to provide the best treatment to youth.
But for Jones, the changes are very soon. Former Bronx resident and now-26-year-old living just a stone’s throw from Horizon said he once struggled with homicidal ideas and discovering that men can become victims of sexual abuse.
He hopes to use to law school today and signify younger children who have lost similar to him.
” I did n’t have the perspective to realize that I was being abused.” I really saw what I was getting out of the deal”, Jones said. ” Speaking to my therapist, she broke it down to me in a way that was so deep. She described me as a child. My mind was n’t yet fully developed yet. And I was there, where everyone is taught to” live on the most dangerous impulses”
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