A recent investigation conducted by the department of investigations looked into the hiring practices at The Department of Corrections and discovered that 28 percent of the Corrections Officers hired since 2016 have criminal records.
Out of 291 randomly chosen applicants, 83 had arrest records. 19 of the 83 had multiple arrests. One new C.O. had visited multiple inmates who have gang affiliations and several new recruits have relatives serving time in the New York corrections system which automatically deems them ineligible for emplyment.
A spokesperson for The Department of Investigations called the hiring and screening process "especially troublesome" because the same issue came up in 2015 and the Department of Corrections said it would reform its hiring practices.
The report highlighted the misdeeds of Corrections Officer Torray Riles of the Bronx. In 2015 Mr. Riles was hired 6 months after he was arrested for menacing, assault, and harassment. In December of 2016, Mr. Riles was arrested on the job at Rikers Island when he was caught trying to smuggle 26 grams of pot into the jail.
Peter Throne, a spokesman for the Department of Corrections issued a statement to the New York Post that said the newest groups of Correction Officers hired were not scrutinized under the revamped hiring practices recommended by the Department of Investigations.
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