Residents, clergy and former officer urge civilian oversight and inspections after reported abuse at Albany County jail

Several residents, clergy and a retired correctional officer urged the Albany County Legislature on Sept. 8 to establish independent civilian oversight of the Albany County Correctional Facility and to inspect the jail after public reports of alleged abusive behavior by corrections staff.

The speakers raised a string of complaints during the meeting’s public comment period, citing recent criminal charges against a corrections officer who allegedly kicked a handcuffed detainee and describing ongoing reports of violent and unsanitary conditions. Ronnie Minter, a community activist, said the officer’s arrest "is part of the problem," and called for the county superintendent to be removed: "Jail is transformed, until the brutality ends, we will keep coming here." Reverend Jim Ketchum of the New York State Council of Churches, which told legislators his group has received more than 50 complaints about the facility,…