PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Leah Faria, Director of Community Engagement at Women's Community Justice Association
3:58:35
·
3 min
Leah Faria, representing the Women's Community Justice Association and the Beyond ROSIE's campaign, testified about the widespread sexual abuse at Rikers Island's Rose M. Singer Center. She criticized the city's lack of action in response to over 700 sexual abuse allegations filed under the Adult Survivors Act and emphasized the need for systemic change in the correctional system.
- Highlighted the power imbalance between correction officers and incarcerated individuals, which facilitates abuse
- Called for challenging the entire system of incarceration and changing the culture surrounding corrections
- Urged the council to adopt Intros 792 and 830, while calling on the Department of Correction to examine factors contributing to the culture of impunity
Leah Faria
3:58:35
Thank you, cheer nurse, and the other members of the committee.
3:58:39
Uh-huh.
3:58:41
There you go.
3:58:42
Does it sound like it was echoing?
3:58:44
Thank you, cheer nurse.
3:58:45
And Melth, the members of the committee.
3:58:48
Good afternoon.
3:58:48
My name is Leah Faria, and I am the director of community engagement at the Women's Community Justice Association.
3:58:55
And I am here testifying on behalf of the Beyond ROSIE's campaign.
3:58:59
As you know, under the adult survivors act.
3:59:02
Over 700 women have reported serious sexual abuse at the Rosenzem Singer Center on Rickers Island spanning nearly 50 years.
3:59:10
Fear allegations against the officers charged with their care ranged from coercion to violent rape.
3:59:18
One would think that allegations on that scale would prompt some serious self examination on the part of the city of New York or at least a major investigation instead city has been sitting on their hands.
3:59:33
No outside investigate no no outside investigative body has been appointed or funded.
3:59:39
Gods accused of multiple sorts were pulled from their posts only following Skating Media coverage.
3:59:46
The picture of this paint is not pretty.
3:59:49
It is a picture of a coach where serial rape was taken for granted for decades, and still isn't taken seriously enough because the vic when incarcerated women and as perpetrators wore badgers.
4:00:03
And the and that must change at every level of newest government incarcerated system.
4:00:11
That the victims of these assaults were incarcerated at the time, speaks volumes about their context.
4:00:18
The vast power imbalance between correction officers and incarcerated people is ripe for abuse.
4:00:25
Inconsolidated people are effectively stripped of their bodily autonomy.
4:00:30
They depend on correction officers for their most basic needs, food, clothing, even access to the bathroom, and have no real means to remove themselves from dangerous or abusive situations within the jail.
4:00:44
To report abuse is to court retaliation from people who control literally every aspect of their lives.
4:00:52
This is a problem that runs deeper than a fat few bad apples.
4:00:56
Although I wanna em emphasize that One will be too many.
4:01:01
This is about the inherent dehumanization of incarceration and the inevitable abuse of absolute power.
4:01:08
This is about accountability, yes, but even more.
4:01:12
It's about the injustice of placing people in a position of such total vulnerability to what amounts to an illusion of increased public safety.
4:01:23
It would be easy to solely blame the culture of correct or its leadership at the times of various assaults.
4:01:30
But the roots of this epidemic of sexual violence run far deeper.
4:01:36
To confront it is a serious way required in this series where it requires challenging the system of incarceration as a whole and to address it effectively requires the city at every level to prioritize both incarceration and a substantial change in the culture surrounding corrections.
4:01:54
We applaud the concrete steps that have been taken, the introduction of intro 792 and 8:30, and this hearing itself are excellent starts.
4:02:03
And as the new leadership at DOC is see who seems to grasp the urgent need for system wide change.
4:02:10
We urged the council to adopt intros 7 92 and 8:30, and the department of correction to seriously examine and challenge the factors that contributed to the culture of impunity, around 50 years of sexual abuse, and both bodies prioritize mass incarceration, especially for women and genders massive people.
4:02:31
Thank you.
