Another Correction Officer Injured at Rikers Amid Calls for Increased Protection

Prisoners at Rikers Island punched a correction officer and threw scalding liquid onto his face, days after another inmate attack sparked protests among correction officers, officials said Sunday.

The officer was treated for third-degree burns and released from the hospital after the most recent attack Thursday, and two inmates were arrested, the Department of Correction said Sunday.

Brooklyn Borough President Adams called for the city to take action to protect correction officers, and Department of Correction Commissioner Joseph Ponte said in a statement the city would seek the maximum sentence for the two prisoners involved in the latest attack.

"Such attacks against the hardworking men and women who serve in our department will not be tolerated," he said. "We will continue to take every step to ensure the safety and security of staff and inmates.”

Earlier this month, a correction officer at Rikers received more than two dozen stitches following a slashing attack. Correction officers rallied at City Hall to protest new restrictions on punitive segregation for adolescent inmates on Rikers and new use-of-force guidelines.

The Department of Correction said Sunday its staffers have been dealing with an increasingly difficult population, but attacks resulting in serious injuries are down 15 percent compared to last year. The percentage of inmates diagnosed with mental illness was up to 41 percent this fiscal year, over 38 percent the year before, the agency said.

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