New York Prison Guard Suspended For Allegedly Waterboarding Prisoners, Torturing Inmates

A prison guard was accused of waterboarding and using other inhuman tortures on inmates at the Auburn Correctional Facility in New York.

Lt. Troy Mitchell — who was working as a prison guard since 1986 — is currently under investigation for pouring buckets of water over the mouths and noses of two prison inmates, New York Daily News reported.

In several other instances, Mitchell was accused of directing various forms of torture toward prisoners’ genitals. According to civil court documents filed against Mitchell in Albany Supreme Court, he beat prisoner Matthew Raymond on Sept. 14, 2016, so savagely that the latter was left without the ability to urinate on his own.

“Relentless in his attack, Lt. Mitchell then directed a corrections officer to spread Mr. Raymond’s legs apart, after which the lieutenant forcefully grabbed and twisted Mr. Raymond’s testicles and penis, and called him a ‘stupid little b---h,’” Raymond’s lawyer wrote in the lawsuit.

The alleged torture took place when Raymond was taken into a small medical unit inside the prison, following a seizure. Mitchell was accompanied by five other officers when he began waterboarding Raymond and later, hitting his face, neck and chest. Despite having sustained severe injuries, Raymond received no medical attention for months.

“It was not until January 2017, after his ability to urinate ceased and he fainted from toxicity that he was finally taken to the Upstate University Hospital in Syracuse,” the filing said.

Although Raymond’s accusations were swept under the rug by the inspector general’s office for the state Department of Correctional Services and Community Renewal due to lack of evidence, the case was reopened after a second inmate made similar accusations against Mitchell.

In the lawsuit filed by Raymond’s lawyer, he said that Mitchell doled out genital tortures in a third instance to another inmate before his client. He also asked for the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS) to hand over video footage and incident reports related to the alleged assault.

Mitchell was accused of grabbing and twisting the genitals of inmates and then punching and beating on their groins with a baton.

After an investigation was initiated against Mitchell, the DOCCS said they had suspended Mitchell on Aug. 17, 2017, without pay.

Mitchell’s less-than-appropriate behavior had already cost the DOCCS more than $800,000 in the past when Penny Collins, a female corrections officer at Auburn received a sizeable settlement five years after filing a lawsuit, in which she accused Mitchell and other officers of sexually harassing her.

“This is one of the sickest people I’ve ever met in my entire life,” Collins, 56, said. “I am only sorry that the state kept him employed. I knew that other people were going to be hurt. And I’m sorry for those inmates. I’m sorry for the officers. I am sorry for everyone who has to be around that man.”

But why was Mitchell employed by the prison in spite of the growing number of allegations against him over the years? It is because a contractual agreement with the prison officers union limits DOCCS’ ability to discipline correction officers.

However, the department is looking to revise the terms and conditions of the contract in order to hold more power when it comes to determining the fate of sadistic prison guards like Mitchell.

“This department has zero tolerance for any behavior that jeopardizes the safety and security of our facilities and the individuals who live and work there,” the department said.

“All allegations of abuse are thoroughly investigated by our revamped Office of Special Investigations and those found to be at fault face the toughest discipline allowable under the collective bargaining agreement,” it added.