In interviews and correspondence, women who have been incarcerated at the M.D.C. pointed to a striking gender dynamic that they say contributes to the likelihood of sexual assault. During the overnight shift, an entire dormitory of women was sometimes supervised by only a single male correctional officer, who was sometimes in turn, supervised by a male lieutenant, inmates said. That led to female inmates often being alone, or in small groups, with male officers during the jail’s quietest hours, according to court records and interviews. Representative Nydia M. Velázquez, Democrat of New York, whose district includes the jail, said she was troubled to learn that female inmates might be supervised primarily by men on some nights. Advertisement Continue reading the main storySeveral women incarcerated at the M.D.C. said that a few correctional officers did little to hide their sexual interest in certain inmates.

Source: New York Times August 01, 2017 09:00 UTC