NY Times Uncovers More Shocking Practices at Dora Schriro’s Rikers Island. “Disarray” in Hiring.

New York Times reporters Michael Schwiritz and Michael Winerip have more on Connecticut State Police leader Dora Schriro’s sordid tenure leading Rikers Island. This time the reporters focus on lax hiring practices near the conclusion of Schriro’s reign of abuse at the vast facility.

Here’s the heart of the story:

In a review of 153 applications of people the Correction Department recently hired, city investigators found that more than one-third had problems that either should have disqualified them or needed further scrutiny. Ten had been arrested more than once, and 12 had previously been rejected by the New York Police Department, six of them for “psychological reasons”, among other issues. Additionally, 79 had relatives or friends who were current or former inmates, a potential security threat, officials said.

The investigation found hiring practices to be in disarray: There was no screening for gang affiliation; most of the application process was not computerized; and employment screeners did not monitor phone calls between inmates and applicants.

Not even the deputy commissioner who oversaw hiring could explain how the evaluation system worked.

The findings underscore the profound dysfunction at Rikers Island and help explain how a culture of violence and corruption has come to flourish in the city jails.

Schriro has been nominated by Democratic Governor Dannel P. Malloy to continue to lead the state’s leading law enforcement agency. The Times revealed last year that Schriro presided over a culture of “Medieval violence” at Rikers.