New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced prison reforms and the dismissal of corrections officers involved in the fatal beating of Robert Brooks, a restrained Black inmate, at Marcy Correctional Facility. Brooks, 43, died on December 10, hours after being punched and kicked while in hand and feet restraints.
Body camera footage, released by Attorney General Letitia James, shows several officers, mostly white, attacking Brooks, though the videos lack audio, and the events leading to the violence remain unclear. James has stated that charges are possible. An autopsy is underway by the Onondaga County medical examiner’s office. Brooks had been serving a 12-year sentence for assault since 2017.
Hochul visited the facility, meeting with inmates and standing in the room where Brooks was killed. “I was heartbroken by this unnecessary loss of life and sickened by the actions of depraved individuals,” she said in a statement. “The system failed Mr. Brooks, and I will not be satisfied until there is significant culture change.”
As part of her reforms, Hochul appointed a new permanent superintendent for the facility, expedited $400 million to install fixed cameras in all state prisons, and distribute additional body cameras for officers. She also ordered an external review of prison culture, patterns, and practices, and expanded funding for independent prison monitoring and an anonymous whistleblower hotline.
The family of Brooks has not commented on the incident.
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