Harrell
BEACON – It was on April 21, 2015 that Fishkill Correctional Facility inmate Samuel Harrell, 30, of Kingston died. This weekend, family members went on a hunger vigil and rally near the prison calling for justice for Sam Harrell.
Harrell died after reportedly being beaten and thrown down a flight of stairs by a group of as many as 20 corrections officers. The case remains under investigation and no charges have been lodged against anyone who may have been involved.
Several speakers at the Saturday rally called for justice for Harrell. Jeffrey Golden of Beacon had a message for Governor Cuomo and corrections officials.
“We want the violent C-Os [corrections officers] out and body cameras in,” Golden said. “We want decreased use of solitary confinement and increased training. None of these are silver bullets but each of them can make a big different in changing the culture of this violent and out-of-control institution.”
Eric Jensen, a former inmate, said he can imagine what his friend went through in his final moments.
Eric Jensen and Cerissa Harrell
“I, myself, was a victim of violence by corrections officers,” Jensen said. “While my teeth were being kicked in, all I could think of was how helpless I felt and how I was going to die here and nobody would know the truth about what happened. Today we are gathered here as one seeking justice for Samuel Harrell. We want accountability.”
Harrell’s sister, Cerissa Harrell of Kingston, still feels the pain of his loss.
“What they did was wrong. It should be a lot of training [for corrections officers] and a lot of days going on for a situation like that,” Cerissa said. My brother had a mental illness that would come about sporadically and I just feel like those corrections officers should have been built to handle people like that, especially Fishkill being a mental health facility.”
Harrell was in prison on drug charges. He was being taken by officers from solitary confinement and thought he was going home, when, in fact, they were going to return him to his regular housing. He acted out because of his mental illness and that was when he was beaten and kicked. He died after being taken to the hospital.
