Veteran journalist Thomas C. Zambito covers energy, transportation and economic growth for the USA Today Network’s New York State team. He recently reported on the beating death of an inmate at a state prison in Utica and what it’s revealed about both violence in New York’s prisons and the pivotal role of body cams in investigating potential police and guard brutality.
We asked Zambito about the story:
You reported on the brutal beating death of an inmate, Robert Brooks, at Marcy Correctional Facility in Utica, which was captured by body cams even though guards had not activated them. Just how much has this case shaken up the prison world in New York?
Well, it’s certainly caught the attention of the leadership of the state prison system. The superintendent at Marcy has been replaced, the governor has called for the officers to be fired, and in the days after the assault, Daniel Martuscello, the head of the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, issued a directive to his superintendents letting them know that prison guards should have their body cameras on at all times.
It seemed to be an indication the officers at Marcy did not activate their cameras during the Brooks incident. But, as we’ve reported, the cameras in use at Marcy have a built-in feature that records even when cameras are not activated. This has come as a surprise to many inside and outside the prison system. It’s generated some interesting discussions online, including this one led by a prison official on YouTube: The Shocking Murder of Robert Brooks at MARCY CORRECTIONAL.
You reported that advocates insist there has long been a culture of violence in New York’s prisons, but that beatings are generally not captured on video. How would this case likely have gone differently without video?
In the past, many of these cases have come down to eyewitness accounts that contradict one another. Officers say one thing, inmates say another. In one case we looked at, prosecutors said the absence of video evidence factored into their decision not to pursue criminal charges against officers.
Robert Brooks:How Marcy body cameras turned a secret assault into a reckoning at NY prisons
Even with the video, is there enough push for change in New York so that officials and the prison system will seek reforms? Prison safety is not exactly a priority of the general public.
True. Attorneys acknowledge their clients may not be viewed sympathetically should these cases go to trial in front of a jury. And that’s in part why these can be difficult cases to make. But the general consensus on all sides of the political spectrum in the wake of this incident is that this is behavior that can’t be tolerated. Adding more body cameras — as the Hochul Administration hopes to do — could be an equitable solution and might go a long way to forcing reforms. Transparency has a way of doing that.
Body cameras:Behind the hidden feature ‘providing pretty important evidence’ in Marcy prison beating
Body cams have had a major impact on police work, as well. Are they the best deterrent against police/guard abuse?
The studies I’ve read about their effectiveness really don’t reach a consensus. Much depends on a department’s commitment to their use. Some officers like them because they guard against false allegations of abuse. Others feel they’re intrusive. As one expert put it to me, if cameras were installed in the classrooms of college professors there would likely be significant pushback. But there may be more at stake here.
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