"A retired New York City correction captain was convicted Friday of all charges for ordering the brutal beating of an inmate at Rikers Island in 2012.
The retired captain, Gerald Vaughn, was found guilty of first-degree attempted gang assault, the most serious offense, in a case that helped expose a pervasive culture of violence at Rikers. He was also convicted of other charges, including attempted assault, assault and official misconduct.
The verdict was delivered Friday morning by Justice Steven Barrett in State Supreme Court in the Bronx. Justice Barrett also convicted two other correction officers, Harmon Frierson and Dwayne Maynard, who were not directly involved in the beating, of official misconduct, but acquitted them on two other charges.
The three defendants are part of a group of nine current and former Rikers correction officers who were tried together in connection with the beating of the inmate, Jahmal Lightfoot, and an effort to cover it up. The other officers chose a jury trial, and on Tuesday, five of those officers were convicted of the attempted gang assault and other charges. Another officer was acquitted in the cover-up."
This pervasive culture of violence and corruption undoubtedly exists at many, but not all, correctional institutions. Many correctional institutions are the dark underworld of criminal justice. There is practically no transparency, and little or no public or media interest. No private citizen videos to expose what's going on. Putting bandaids on cancer only provides the appearance of cure and caring. These subcultures must be addressed and wiped out.
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