Inmate deaths raise questions about millions of dollars in NY state spending on body-worn cameras

After New York State agreed in February 2020 to pay $5 million to the family of an inmate who died in an upstate prison, state officials made a separate $5 million pledge: 1,000 body-worn cameras for correction officers.

They said the goal was to ensure transparency, compliance and to "save the department in lawsuits," according to records obtained by Newsday through a Freedom of Information Law request.

Five years and $39 million later, New York has agreed to purchase enough body cameras for all correction officers, regardless of rank, according to the obtained documents.

But the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision is facing questions after two high-profile deaths of inmates over the last year — both of which occurred with correctional officers who either allegedly did not know their body cameras were recording or avoided documenting the alleged fatal abuse.

In December, Robert Brooks was allegedly beaten to death by correction officers who didn't know their body-worn cameras were recording. In March, Massiah Nantwi was allegedly beaten to death by correction officers who allegedly turned off or obscured the cameras.

The deaths have watchdogs and advocates asking how committed the agency is to the reforms it has promised.

"It is notable to see DOCCS, back in 2020, saying body-worn cameras are useful because they could reduce its exposure in lawsuits," Katherine Rosenfeld, who is representing Nantwi’s estate, said. "It's disappointing that they didn't more forcefully implement the plan and the program because it could have saved people's lives."

Rosenfeld, partner at Emery Celli Brinckerhoff Abady Ward & Maazel, has represented inmates who have suffered abuse for two decades. In her experience, she said, "DOCCS has generally been completely reactive."

Jennifer Scaife, executive director of the Correctional Association of New York, said the state is following the right course. The association is charged under state law to serve as an independent watchdog of the prison system.

"In this case," Scaife said, "it is a government agency acknowledging that it has been subject to litigation around misconduct and abuse by correctional officers and that in the interest of making prudent use of taxpayer resources and based on its own track record, it’s taking appropriate action in response." 

After a trip last month to the prison where Brooks was allegedly beaten to death, Marcy Correctional Facility, the association reported that inmates said it has been safer with the addition of cameras. Body cameras are "well worth the investment," Scaife said.

The New York Times and the Marshall Project documented in 2023 that DOCCS had paid out at least $18 million from lawsuits alleging excessive force, according to records the news outlets analyzed from the state Attorney General’s Office.

Since the investigation, there has been at least $10 million more in settlements, mainly from cases that predate the widespread purchase of body cameras.

Unused cameras

The Brooks and Nantwi cases offer early challenges to the state’s goal of using cameras to keep prisons safer and reduce its legal risk, but there have been previous reports of problems with the rollout.

In 2022, the Correctional Association of New York issued a report on Mid-State, which housed Nantwi and was one of the four facilities to receive the first batch of 1,000 state-purchased body-worn cameras. The other facilities included correctional facilities Auburn, Franklin and Sullivan, which is where Karl Taylor was allegedly beaten and choked to death, leading to the $5 million settlement in February 2020.

The prison had a supply of 250 body cameras, it said, "but the executive team reported that the facility only used 30 at a time, and only issued them to sergeants."

"Incarcerated people and staff emphasized their need for more cameras," the report continued.

By January 2025, the association said that while nearly 300 body-worn cameras were in use since May 2024, "some were broken, and others were not remaining charged for the duration of a shift." The records obtained by Newsday reflect warranties with the purchase of the cameras.

Around the same time, according to the documents, DOCCS acknowledged to the state comptroller that in maximum security facilities with fixed cameras, only sergeants needed body cameras. But now it needed additional $2 million for 800 body cameras to bring them in line with the policies at medium security prisons, like Mid-State.

"At this point, all staff regardless of security level or title are required to wear body cameras," Meyreato Campbell, a DOCCS procurement official told the Office of the State Comptroller on Jan. 14, according to the public records.

Commitment to safety

DOCCS, through a spokesman, touted its commitment to reduce violence and increase accountability in the prisons as it implements body-worn cameras and installs fixed cameras.

"The department continues to invest heavily in safety and security," spokesman Thomas Mailey said in a statement. The cameras, he said, have "proven to reduce violence, and make facilities safer for staff and the incarcerated population while holding people accountable for any wrongdoing."

When asked about the records Newsday obtained, DOCCS noted "body worn cameras provide valuable visual evidence that can be used in internal investigations, criminal referrals, and litigation," but noted the language — "save the department in lawsuits" — is not in the latest procurement records.

A spokesman for the correction officers union supported the use of body cameras to save the department in lawsuits.

"If utilized effectively, body-worn cameras can repudiate inmates’ false accusations against staff or frivolous civil lawsuits in an efficient and timely manner and avoid wasting taxpayer money investigating the accusations," New York State Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association spokesman James Miller said in a statement.

The state committed $400 million toward fixed cameras across the prison system.

"Gov. [Kathy] Hochul remains fully committed to ensuring the safety of all who enter DOCCS facilities, and will continue working to implement the reforms initiated after the brutal murder of Robert Brooks," spokesperson Jess D’Amelia said in a statement.

‘Question everything’

DOCCS Commissioner Daniel F. Martuscello III faced hours of questions from lawmakers in February at an annual budget hearing, which served as a space for elected officials to question the top official.

Martuscello said in March 2024 body cameras were given out at Marcy, where Brooks died nine months later.

"Unfortunately it didn’t prevent his death," Martuscello said, "which is totally, absolutely unfortunate and tragic."

The commissioner added he needs to "question everything" and is looking at training practices.

Last month, the comptroller’s office approved a contract with the department paying Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr, which served as counsel to the U.S. Conference of Mayors’ "working group on police reform and racial justice."

The contract is to review "patterns and practices at Marcy, Mid-State and other DOCCS prisons, following the Robert Brooks and Messiah Nantwi tragedies," a department spokesman said.

The two-year contract is valued at $9.4 million.

Lawmakers pressed Martuscello on repercussions for officers involved in abuse of inmates. He said there is a process set in place by collective bargaining agreement with the union.

Hochul terminated the officers alleged to be involved in the Brooks and Nantwi deaths.

Nine years prior, Martuscello, then a deputy commissioner, told the Marshall Project: "We will do anything necessary" to ensure accountability of correction officers. He added: "I’m not here to make the union happy."

Miller, the union official, told Newsday that if officers are in violation of a DOCCS policy, "they can face disciplinary charges."

In April, the state agreed to an additional $90 million deal with Axon for body cameras, which can serve as a just-in-case contract to have the ability to order more cameras for the remainder of the decade.