On December 9, 2024, correctional officers assaulted Robert Brooks in transit from Mohawk Correctional Facility to Marcy Correctional Facility. They proceeded to punch, choke, and kick him to death in an exam room in the infirmary at Marcy. He died of his injuries early the next morning.
CANY responded to reports of the killing, citing its findings from a 2022 monitoring visit to Marcy Correctional Facility.
The Albany Times Union’s Brendan J. Lyons broke the
New York Attorney General Letitia James released body-worn camera footage that her office obtained as part of its ongoing investigation into the death of Robert Brooks at Marcy Correctional Facility in Oneida County.2024-12-27 00:00:00
Attorney General James Releases Footage from Investigation into Death of Robert Brooks
When the Office of the Attorney General released the body-worn camera footage of Robert Brooks’ murder, the brutality of the culture CANY had previously documented within Marcy Correctional Facility was laid bare.
Jan Ransom, investigative reporter at the New York Times, looked into past allegations against the officers involved in Brooks’ beating death.
Gothamist reporter Giulia Heyward wrote that findings similar to those in CANY’s report on Marcy were detailed in two federal lawsuits.
Gov. Kathy Hochul visited Marcy Correctional Facility following Brooks’ murder and subsequently issued a number of corrective actions, including a commitment of $2M in new funds to expand CANY’s oversight of and partnership with the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision.
Governor Hochul announced unprecedented reforms in the wake of Robert Brooks’ death, including a landmark commitment of $2M in new state funding to support CANY’s independent oversight of prisons in New York State.
CANY’s Recommendations to Improve Safety, Institutional Culture, and Living and Working Conditions within DOCCS Facilities are grounded in observations of prison conditions, interviews with individuals who live and work in correctional facilities, and data analysis