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Inmate’s Death Sheds Light on New York State Jail Atrocities

© CBSNClinton Correctional Facility, New York State
Clinton Correctional Facility, New York State - Sputnik International
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Guards at the Clinton Correctional Facility, a maximum-security prison in the state of New York, who many inmates say treat prisoners brutally, killing a prisoner in recent years, remain unpunished.

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Despite comprehensive evidence proving that jail staff ambush, injure and unlawfully detain prisoners in yearlong solitary confinement, as well as beat prisoners to death, repeated lawsuits fail under various circumstances, an investigation carried out by the New York Times revealed.

In one instance, no charges were brought after Leonard Strickland, a 44-year-old inmate who suffered from schizophrenia, died after being beaten by Clinton guards in October 2010. The New York State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation later claimed that the man’s death was natural and ruled that prison officers did not engage in criminal behavior.

The case would have remained untold if the Times hadn’t obtained a video depicting the last 40 minutes of the man’s life.

The sad footage opens with a view of a handcuffed Strickland wearing torn clothes. As two officers attempt to force the prisoner to stay on the wall, he seems to be suffering pain and cries aloud. Within three minutes Strickland is on the floor, and six minutes later officers cannot tell if the man is breathing.

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For the next half an hour, as nurses and officers perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), Strickland is unconscious and motionless, and remains handcuffed.

Doctors testified later in court that the handcuffs hampered the effectiveness of the CPR because Strickland's back was not flat against the floor. Strickland died a few hours later at a nearby hospital.

In the aftermath of the incident the Times interviewed incarcerated or released Clinton inmates, who all told a similar story, claiming that the handcuffed Strickland was pushed down the stairs not long before his death.

The guards denied the accusations, justifying their actions by a necessity to subdue an out-of-control prisoner.

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Currently, all prison staff linked to the case "either still work at Clinton or other state prisons, or were promoted or retired with full benefits. In the years since the Strickland case, several of them have again been accused of brutality by inmates," the Times reported.

The Times’ report revealed that no prison-guard-brutality lawsuit in the New York state Northern District has been concluded successfully in the last five years. According to State Police officials, no charges have been brought against Clinton officers.

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