ALBANY, N.Y. (NESTAR) — The New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision has new reports out that detail apparent accountability failures in state prisons. They document violence and understaffing straining the system.
DOCCS hired the law firm WilmerHale and the consulting group Falcon to investigate instances where use of force at state-run prisons killed an incarcerated individual. The primary examples were at Marcy and Mid-State Correctional Facilities, where DOCCS officers killed Robert Brooks in late 2024 and Messiah Nantwi in early 2025. DOCCS has reported 83 deaths among the incarcerated in the first half of 2026.
Released at the end of June and available to read at the bottom of this story, the comprehensive WilmerHale report investigated what happened to Brooks and Nantwi. It analyzed prior incidents of excessive force, shortcomings in the DOCCS Office of Special Investigations, deficiencies in staff training, and a pervasive “us versus them” mentality…