This may have made a better movie. A third prison guard was convicted of operating a fight club at Rikers Island. Unlike the movie Fight Club, in which bored, everyday people participated in voluntary beatings of each other, this fight club involved inmates beating on other inmates who had no desire to fight.
Denise Albright, 45, was sentenced to one year in jail for the assault of Christopher Robinson that led to his death. Apparently Robinson, an 18-year-old inmate, was considered a troublemaker in jail, and prison guards allowed inmates to beat him up in exchange for more favorable treatment by the guards.
After Robinson’s beaten body was discovered, the fight club was unveiled and three prison guards were arrested for encouraging it. Albright was the last to be convicted and received a relatively lenient sentence. The alleged ring-leaders of the fight club — Michael McKie and Khalid Nelson — faced up to 50 years in jail. Both pleaded guilty to assault, and McKie was sentenced to two years in jail while Nelson got one year.
To be convicted of assault, someone does not necessarily have to throw a punch or engage in the physical altercation. Instead, merely causing the fight or inciting a beating may be enough for a conviction. In this case, none of the prison guards were accused of dealing a blow and yet all three have been convicted of the crime.
Along with the criminal convictions, it’s unclear if the three prison guards lost their jobs over the Rikers Island fight club. But given the circumstances of Christopher Robinson’s death, not even the best efforts of a New York City employment law lawyer could have saved their jobs.
Related Resources:
- Find a New York City Criminal Lawyer (FindLaw)
- Rikers guards jailed for inmate’s death (New York Daily News)
- Assault and Battery (FindLaw)
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