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NEW YORK — A Rikers Island correction officer came away with a fractured skull and serious facial injuries after a violent attack by an inmate on Monday, according to a report.
The brutal battering took place about 9 a.m. in the prison’s George R. Vierno Center, according to the Department of Correction. In addition to a fractured skull, the officer suffered a fractured orbital and a broken nose among other injuries, officials said.
The Bronx District Attorney and the DOC is investigating the crime. Meanwhile, the inmate was re-booked on the charge of attempted murder in the first degree. His name was not released, New York Post reported.
“Any assault on our staff is deplorable and absolutely unacceptable. We will work with the Bronx DA to hold the individual responsible accountable,” DOC Commissioner Vincent Schiraldi said in a statement.
Correction Officers’ Benevolent Association President Benny Boscio blamed the incident on Mayor Bill de Blasio for his failure to keep prison personnel safe.
“Our Correction Officer, who was simply doing his job, was nearly killed by this heinous attack. The blood that shed from his wounds and the wounds of all of our brave officers, who continue to be assaulted with impunity, are on the Mayor’s hands. He alone has the power to make our jails safer and his unwillingness to do so makes him criminally negligent for creating the conditions we face daily.”
Jail personnel called the environment and strain at Rikers Island the worst working conditions in its history during a protest two weeks ago.
“They are at the breaking point,” Correction Captain Association President Pat Ferraiuolo told The Post when speaking of his union members.
“It’s worse than at the breaking point. They are the worst they have ever been in the history of Rikers Island,” he said of conditions and morale. “It’s a very dangerous environment.
About 1,600 of the jail’s 8,800 uniformed officers were out on sick leave at the end of July — and another 2,200 didn’t show up for work at some point last month without calling in, the DOC said.
In July, Law Officer reported on the unusually high number of correction officers jumping ship to NYPD.
“I can’t imagine how bad Rikers is, because morale in the NYPD is the lowest I have seen in almost 20 years,” said a police source. “I couldn’t imagine quitting a job to come here.”
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