After NY inmate Robert Brooks’ death from alleged prison beating, a closer look behind bars

Multiple state, FBI and Justice Department investigations are underway into the disturbing beating of inmate Robert Brooks by New York State corrections officers.

Now questions are being raised about whether Brooks' death was an isolated incident or a symptom of widespread institutional issues.

What does the investigation entail?

What they're saying:

The Brooks family attorney, Elizabeth Mazur, told FOX 5 NY that the family is working on a federal wrongful death civil rights lawsuit. 

"Looking at those images, it does raise the question whether this is potentially not an uncommon occurrence? So I think that's really something we want to learn about as part of our litigation," Mazur said.

Corrections commissioner Daniel Martuscello said he would implement "institutional change" at the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision. Civil rights activist and hip-hop artist Mysonne said reform is badly needed.

"Being incarcerated, I know people who've been beaten, I know people who actually lost their lives in situations like that, so I'm glad it was able to be seen, because then people realize it was actually happening," Mysonne said. 

What happened to Robert Brooks?

The backstory:

Robert L. Brooks Sr., 43, died on Dec. 10, a day after the beating at Marcy Correctional Facility in upstate New York. Body camera video shows "several large white law enforcement officers torturing a bloodied Black man who is restrained, helpless, and struggling to maintain consciousness," according to the lawsuit, which said the assault lasted about 10 minutes. Officers struck the handcuffed Brooks in the chest with a shoe and lifted him by the neck and dropped him while employees who were watching the beating appeared indifferent.

His son, Robert L. Brooks Jr., sued the group of more than a dozen guards implicated in the attack, as well as the head of the upstate facility at that time and the commissioner of the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision.

The New York state correctional officers and police benevolent association described the video as "incomprehensible to say the least" and "certainly not reflective of the great work that the vast majority of our membership conducts every day."

More than a dozen officers and a nurse were immediately suspended with other disciplinary actions pending. 

Violence behind prison walls

By the numbers:

Even before the death of Brooks, violence behind prison walls was a growing concern.

The DOCCS reported 1,043 assaults on prison staff in 2019. By the end of 2024, that number has more than doubled to 2,514.

Assaults on inmates tripled from 1,267 in 2019 to 3,759 in 2024.

During this same period, the number of corrections officers declined every year. Former New York State corrections sergeant Leo Corbie said already daunting challenges are made worse by understaffing. 

Why you should care:

"People committing crimes on the street and then they go into state prison, so we have to deal with those type of individuals on a daily basis, so if they're committing crimes on the streets, then it's crimes in prison," Corbie said.

The number one concern for both officers and inmates is safety.

Technology such as body worn cameras, weapons and drug detection systems can play a role in enhancing that, but use of force issues remains a top concern, according to Bryce Peterson, adjunct professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and CNA senior research scientist. 

"I think the biggest concern is we just don't know much about it, so we don't know how often use of force is happening. That information is not published, it's not provided," Peterson said.

The Source: This article uses field reporting from FOX 5 NY's Lisa Evers and reporting from the Associated Press.

Crime and Public SafetyNew York