>>> SO WE’VE BEEN REPORTING ON
>>> SO WE’VE BEEN REPORTING ON
THIS A LOT.
YOU’VE LIKELY HEARD ABOUT THE
YOU’VE LIKELY HEARD ABOUT THE
JAIL STAFFING CRISIS ON RIKERS
ISLAND.
TONIGHT THE I-TEAM IS TAKING US
BEHIND BARS TO SHOW US THE
CONSEQUENCES.
EXCLUSIVE VIDEO SHOWING AN
OVERWHELMED CORRECTIONS OFFICER
HELPLESS TO STOP A VICIOUS
ATTACK, A GANG ATTACK.
AS CHRIS GLORIOSO REPORTS, SHE
WAITED FOR MINUTES WITH NO
BACKUP WHILE A DETAINEE WAS
BACKUP WHILE A DETAINEE WAS
BLOODIED AND BLINDED.
>> Reporter: YOU ARE LOOKING AT
EXCLUSIVE VIDEO OF OF A 2018
EXCLUSIVE VIDEO OF OF A 2018
GANG ASSAULT IN THE SHOWERS AT A
RIKERS ISLAND WOMEN’S JAIL.
THE CORRECTIONS OFFICER TRYING
TO BREAK IT UP IS OUTNUMBERED,
BY HERSELF, WITH CHEMICAL SPRAY
MALFUNCTIONING.
>> FOUR INMATE JUMPED ME.
THEY KICKED ME.
I WAS ON THE FLOOR.
>> Reporter: VICTORYIIA NAZAROVA
>> Reporter: VICTORYIIA NAZAROVA
IS THE DETAINEE BEING BEATEN,
KICKED AND DRAGGED ON THE FLOOR.
BASED ON THIS VIDEO, SHE SUED
BASED ON THIS VIDEO, SHE SUED
AND LAST MONTH THE CITY SETTLED
FOR $325,000.
THE CORRECTIONS DEPARTMENT
THE CORRECTIONS DEPARTMENT
ADMITTED NO WRONGDOING, BUT THE
VIDEO SHOWS AN EMERGENCY
RESPONSE TEAM ARRIVING TOO LATE,
ONLY AFTER NAZAROVA WAS BLEEDING
AND PARTIALLY BLINDED ON THE
JAIL FLOOR.
WAS THERE ANY WAY THAT ONE
WAS THERE ANY WAY THAT ONE
CORRECTIONS OFFICER WAS GOING TO
STOP THAT SITUATION?
>> I DON’T THINK SO.
>> Reporter: NAZAROVA BLAMES HER
>> Reporter: NAZAROVA BLAMES HER
INJURIES ON UNDERSTAFFING AT
RIKERS ISLAND AND SHE SAYS
DURING THE PANDEMIC STAFFING
CONDITIONS HAVE GOTTEN EVEN
WORSE.
ACCORDING TO CORRECTIONS BRASS,
ACCORDING TO CORRECTIONS BRASS,
ON ONE DAY IN MID AUGUST NEARLY
1,8
1,800 OF THE 8,300 OFFICERS WERE
NOSHOWS.
THAT’S 20% OF ALL THE OFFICERS
THAT’S 20% OF ALL THE OFFICERS
ASSIGNED TO RIKERS.
>> WE HAVE 2,795 TIMES IN THE
MONTH OF AUGUST PEOPLE DIDN’T
CALL AND DIDN’T COME TO WORK.
CALL AND DIDN’T COME TO WORK.
>> Reporter: C.O.s ARE ALLOWED
TO TAKE NEARLY UNLIMITED SICK
DAYS.
BUT THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNION
BUT THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNION
REPRESENTING JAIL CAPTAINS SAID
SICK LEAVE IS NOT BEING ABUSED.
HE BLAMES NEW POLICIES THAT
LIMIT SOLITARY CONFINEMENT AND
THE USE OF FORCE AGAINST VIOLENT
INMATES.
>> YOU COULD BE FIGHTING FOR 10,
>> YOU COULD BE FIGHTING FOR 10,
15 MINUTES BEFORE HELP COMES
BECAUSE THEY DON’T HAVE THE
STAFF.
THIS IS MY OPINION.
THIS IS MY OPINION.
BUT YOU HAVE OFFICERS THAT JUST
ARE FED UP AND ARE AFRAID TO
COME TO WORK.
>> Reporter: IN RESPONSE TO
QUESTIONS ABOUT JAIL STAFFING
THE CITY’S CORRECTIONS
COMMISSIONER SENT THE I-TEAM A
STATEMENT TOUTING TOUGH NEW
PENALTIES FOR NO-SHOW C.O.s,
EFFORTS TO END THE STAFFING
CRISIS ARE WORKING, HE SAID,
"OUR POPULATION IS DROPPING.
"OUR POPULATION IS DROPPING.
OFFICERS ARE COMING BACK TO
POST.
AND TRIPLE SHIFTS ARE
DRAMATICALLY DECREASING."
STILL, RIKERS DETAINEE ANTHONY
STILL, RIKERS DETAINEE ANTHONY
MATEO TOLD US HE CONTINUES TO
SEE BURNED-OUT OFFICERS.
>> THEY LOOK EXHAUSTED.
YOU KNOW?
LIKE THEY’RE RUNNING ON FUMES.
>> Reporter: HOW DO WE ENCOURAGE
MORE CORRECTIONS OFFICERS TO
MORE CORRECTIONS OFFICERS TO
COME TO WORK?
>> THE ONES THAT YOU DO SEE
EVERY DAY, THOSE ARE THE ONES
THAT ARE TOUGH.
THE ONES THAT ARE FOLDING AND
QUITTING, THOSE ARE WEAK.
THEY CAN’T SURVIVE IN HERE.
>> IT’S PRETTY EVIDENT THAT
>> IT’S PRETTY EVIDENT THAT
THOSE CONDITIONS ARE UNSAFE AND
BORDERLINE INHUMANE.
>> Reporter: PAUL PRESTIA
REPRESENTS MATTEO, NAZAROVA AND
OTHER DETAINEES.
HE DESCRIBES A DANGEROUS CYCLE
OF SICK CALLS.
OF SICK CALLS.
WHEN C.O.s CALL OUT INMATES MISS
RECREATION TIME AND EVEN COURT
DATES AND THEN THEY BECOME
DATES AND THEN THEY BECOME
AGITATED AND MORE LIKELY TO
FIGHT.
>> THE FUNDAMENTAL PROBLEM IS
>> THE FUNDAMENTAL PROBLEM IS
YOU HAVE PEOPLE IN JAIL WHO ARE
PRESUMED INNOCENT, WHO ARE NOT
GETTING A DAY IN COURT.
HOW CAN HE GET JUSTICE THAT WAY,
CHRIS?
HE CAN’T.
>> Reporter: WHAT DO YOU THINK
ABOUT SUCH A LARGE NUMBER OF
CORRECTIONS OFFICERS NOT SHOWING
UP TO WORK?
UP TO WORK?
>> THEY SCARED.
>> Reporter: THEY’RE SCARED?
>> OF COURSE.
>> Reporter: YOU KNOW THAT SOME
PEOPLE ARE GOING TO HEAR THAT
AND THEY’RE GOING TO SAY BUT
AND THEY’RE GOING TO SAY BUT
THEY SIGNED UP FOR THAT JOB, IT
IS A DANGEROUS JOB, BUT WE NEED
THEM TO DO IT.
>> IN RIKERS WE HAVE SOME JOKE.
IT’S NOT DEPARTMENT OF
IT’S NOT DEPARTMENT OF
CORRECTION, IT’S DEPARTMENT OF
CONFUSION.
>> Reporter: VIKTORIA NAZAROVA
IS AWAITING TRIAL ON AN
ATTEMPTED MURDER CHARGE.
ATTEMPTED MURDER CHARGE.
ANTHONY MATTEO AWAITING TRIAL ON
BURGLARY AND ROBBERY CHARGES.
BOTH HAVE PLEADED NOT GUILTY AND
BOTH HAVE PLEADED NOT GUILTY AND
BOTH SAY THEY DON’T BLAME C.O.s
FOR NOT SHOWING UP TO WORK
BECAUSE RIKERS HAS GOTTEN SO