Officials and activists rally after latest death in New York’s prisons
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Officials and activists called for prison reforms in Albany on Tuesday following the death of an upstate inmate, who was allegedly beaten to death by prison guards. Photo via Center for Community Alternatives/X
By Ryan Schwach
Activists and elected officials rallied in Albany on Tuesday to call for prison reforms after a 22-year-old incarcerated man was killed after allegedly being beaten by prison guards over the weekend.
The death of Messiah Nantwi, who was being held in Mid-State Correctional Facility, came several months after 43-year-old Robert Brooks was beaten to death by a group of officers, half a dozen of whom now face murder charges. Nantwi’s death also comes as prison guards across the state continue to illegally strike, furthering an ongoing crisis in New York’s prisons.
Those rallying in Albany on Tuesday said the incidents are just individual cases after years of abuse at the hands of guards in upstate prisons, thousands of whom have continued to strike against the wishes of their union.
“We are here because our loved ones are being brutalized, starved, isolated and murdered at New York State prisons,” said Thomas Gant from the Center for Community Alternatives. “We are here because we refuse to let the suffering go unseen, unheard and unanswered.”
“This is not just about one isolated tragedy,” Gant added. “It is about generations of unchecked violence [and] racism…It is about a prison system that operates as a death sentence to fire too many, and it's about the urgent demand for accountability, justice and freedom.”
On Saturday, the New York Times reported that Nantwi, a Harlem man serving time for weapons possession in connection with two gun killings in 2023, died at the Oneida County facility.
Several other prisoners told the Times that Nantwi had been beaten by correction officers after a disagreement with National Guards troops deployed to the prison to fill in for striking prison guards.
According to accounts from the incarcerated men, a group of officers wielding batons came to Nantwi’s cell and began to beat him.
One prisoner said he witnessed Nantwi getting CPR following the incident.
While his death is still under investigation by the state, 15 guards were placed on administrative leave on Tuesday, according to Governor Kathy Hochul.
“While the investigation into this incident is ongoing, early reports point to extremely disturbing conduct leading to Mr. Nantwi’s death and I am committed to accountability for all involved,” the governor said in a statement. The people of New York extend our deepest condolences to Mr. Nantwi's family and loved ones.”
Like Brooks killing, which was captured on the body-worn cameras the officers now charged with murder had affixed to their uniforms, Nantwi’s death sparked outrage this week.
The Legal Aid Society called Nant"unconscionable."
“The [New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision] must immediately release all camera footage and information regarding this incident. Transparency is non-negotiable, and the public has a right to know what happened,” the organization said in a statement. “This tragedy underscores the inherent culture of staff violence that pervades New York’s prisons, and the urgent need for transparency, accountability, and reform.”
At the rally on Tuesday, Messiah Ramkissoon from the Youth Justice Network recalled working with Nantwi.
“I’ve spent almost two decades working with young people. Messiah was like my little brother,” Ramkissoon, the associate executive director of the youth justice network, said. “I understand what led Messiah to incarceration, and I also understand that his actions took lives and left families in our village grieving and traumatized. But what truly needs to be held accountable is the system that sets our young people up for failure, that funnels them into harm instead of offering them a way out.”
Following Nantwi’s death and Brooks’ killing, officials – including a few from Queens – renewed their calls for criminal justice and prison legislation, some of which would expedite the release of those who have served long sentences and reformed themselves, at the Tuesday morning rally.
Ten prison guards were charged in February for the killing of Robert Brooks in an upstate prison. Screenshot via New York State Attorney General office via AP
“Our prison system is plagued by a culture of violence and impunity, and we cannot wait for another death to change it,” said Queens and Brooklyn Senator Julia Salazar, who chairs the Committee on Crime Victims, Crime, and Correction. “This crisis demands bold and decisive action from us all. It is beyond time for us in the legislature to act to transform New York’s prison system.”
Salazar and the other officials called for their colleagues to support several bills, including the Earned Time Act, which would expand workforce and community integration programs that are earned by inmates, and the Second Look Act, which would allow judges to review sentences after a decade.
“Our state’s criminal justice system is in need of serious reform, and we can start by passing common sense and potentially life-saving legislation,” said Western Queens Assemblymember Claire Valdez.
Several of the reforms have stalled in the state legislature for the past several years.
Valdez, who was sworn into office earlier this year, said that Nantwi’s death “should anger anyone with a conscience.”
“No one living in a New York prison should have to fear for their life, especially at the hands of those entrusted to look after their safety,” she said.
Nantwi’s death comes amid a crisis at the state’s jails as thousands of DOCCS officers stage a wildcat strike over working conditions and staff shortages.
The unsanctioned strike goes against the wishes of the union, and spans over 36 facilities in New York, which are being partially staffed by National Guards troops at the direction of Governor Kathy Hochul.
At the heart of the strike is the officers’ opposition to the HALT Solitary Act, which bans the use of solitary confinement, a practice deemed torture by the UN, in the state. The striking guards have complained that the restrictions on solitary confinement have left the prisons less safe.
Some opponents have accused the striking officers of walking out to distract the public from Brooks’ dramatic death, and also say they are creating even more unsafe and unjust conditions at the prisons.
At least seven people have died behind bars since the start of the strike, including 67-year-old Anthony Douglas and 35-year-old Franklyn Dominguez, who both died at the Sing Sing Correctional Facility within hours of each other.
“The ongoing unauthorized strike by prison guards across New York State has endangered the lives of thousands of incarcerated New Yorkers by leaving them with minimal access to food, medication, and medical care,” Manhattan Assemblymember Harvey Epstein said.
As of Tuesday, the strike remained ongoing, and the state had begun firing striking officers and cancelling health insurance for others.
The ongoing illegal work stoppage is a significant safety risk, and I once again reiterate the need for Correction Officers to return to work,” the governor said on Tuesday. “My administration remains committed to working in good faith with correction officers to improve safety and working conditions within the correctional system, but we will not compromise on the need for responsible, law-abiding behavior by every single person who walks into a DOCCS facility.”
