NYC Board of Corrections chief resigns as prison commissioner Molina complains she spread ‘negative’ information

The chief executive of the city’s Department of Corrections has resigned amid accusations that the 70-year-old agency is trying to portray the Department of Corrections in a “negative light,” according to sources and documents.

Amanda Masters stepped down from her post on Thursday, 11 months after her appointment. Neither Masters nor board representatives responded to requests for comment.

Her resignation comes weeks after Corrections Commissioner Louis Molina cut off the Correctional Board’s access to CCTV footage that the board deemed necessary for its job of overseeing the department.

Masters noted on her LinkedIn page that she has increased the corrections staff to 31 and has successfully campaigned for the removal of “cages” in prison day rooms, increased use of narcan by officers, and de-escalation zones after fights.

During Masters’ tenure, the board released three prison death reports detailing breakdowns by Department of Corrections employees that may have contributed to some of the deaths. A fourth death is expected.

The reports were critical of the DOC’s leadership.

The Daily News reported Jan. 30 that the Adams administration appeared to be trying to tighten its grip on prison information in several ways, including cutting off video access, backing a proposal to keep the federal monitor’s report secret, allegedly not responding to a congressional committee’s request for providing information and ignoring data requests from the City Council.

Controversy surrounding the video began in November when NY1 filed a public recording request to find a video related to the suicide of detainee Eric Tavira in September. The board consulted with the State Open Government Commission and the city’s legal department and edited parts of the video before sending it to the news organization, records obtained by The News show.

NY1’s request went back to the Department of Corrections, prompting Molina’s Jan. 10 decision to disable BOC’s remote access to video, a key tool used by the board in collecting death reports. He also cut off the board’s access to body cameras and portable video.

It ruled that council investigators were required to come to DOC headquarters to view videos between 9 am and 6 pm weekdays and could not print images or take documentation with them, records show.

The NY1 report aired on January 12.

BOC Chairman Duane Sampson, just days after his appointment, wrote two letters, dated January 11 and 12, received by the Daily News, asking Molina to rescind his “unacceptable” directive and describing access to the video as “critical to the board’s ability to carry out its oversight function.” “. The board also issued a public statement condemning the move.

The new rules, Sampson wrote, were “an unworkable option.” They were also in violation of the city’s charter, which says the board can access DOC records at will, he wrote.

On January 13, Molina sent his response to Sampson — a letter also obtained by The News — accusing the board of pursuing an “agenda” to “represent the DOC in a negative light.” He claimed that someone on the council told the NY1 reporter what to ask for and called the release of the video “deeply disturbing”.

He also complained about another case where the BOC released public records of images taken in prisons and submitted them to the Manhattan District Attorney’s office.

“I have read the city’s charter and nowhere do I find authority for the BOC to hold a road show to present the DOC in the worst (sic) light,” Molina wrote.

“It looks like the BOC staff have a plan that doesn’t give me confidence that seamless video access is justified.”

This week ahead of Masters’ resignation, board member Carlina Rivera issued a scathing statement to The News saying Molina was “actively undermining” the agency. She urged Molina to lift the ban on the video. accusing him in a statement given to The News of “attacking the free press” and undermining public confidence.

“Despite verbal assurances of progress throughout the year, the commissioner’s actions demonstrate complete disrespect and contempt not only for the BOC’s statutory oversight, which explicitly includes the right to unhindered access to video materials, but also for compliance with New York’s freedom of information laws. , as well as the basic transparency due to taxpayers who fund an agency with one of the largest budgets in the city,” she said.

“It is in the interest of all New Yorkers that all stakeholders act in accordance with the City’s Charter to ensure a safe, humane, and fair environment in the city’s prisons.”

Masters previously served as the council’s legal counsel for five years, was deputy chief executive from 2012 to 2015, and served as acting chief executive for several months in 2014. She also worked for then-Public Lawyer Letitia James.