NEW YORK – A court-appointed monitor who oversees New York City's jails has found the training facility for guards "severely lacking."
Steve J. Martin writes Tuesday in his first report since being appointed last year the conditions send a troubling message to jail guards about the value of their jobs. He says the training academy occupies two floors of a Queens office building with 12 small, windowless classrooms and a cramped basement gym.
Martin was appointed to oversee the jails following a yearslong lawsuit by federal prosecutors and lawyers for inmates injured at the hands of guards.
His report finds officials have made progress in their efforts to improve jail conditions overall. He points to beefed-up internal investigations and rewritten use-of-force protocols among other improvements.
The city says it's committed to finding a new facility.
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