The Public Integrity Division (PID) investigates allegations of misconduct, both criminal and internal policy violations, to ensure the integrity of the Department, the safety of all within the DOCCS system, and the protection of those within the state’s correctional facilities, under community supervision, and the general public. The Public Integrity Division, for example, investigates allegations of physical and sexual abuse of incarcerated individuals by employees; staff misconduct, sexual harassment and other forms of serious harassment and threatening behavior; unattended deaths and suicides by incarcerated individuals in facilities; escape plots; and any other alleged misconduct having a nexus to DOCCS that is not covered by another OSI Division.
The Public Integrity Division has dedicated units, the Special Victims Unit (SVU) and Major Case Unit (MCU), to handle sexual assault cases and serious physical abuse cases, respectively. Investigators in PID have specialized training including techniques for interviewing victims of sexual and physical abuse, proper use of Miranda and Garrity warnings, evidence collection in confinement settings, and the criteria and evidence required to substantiate a case for administrative action or prosecution referral. To ensure meaningful implementation and compliance with the federal Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) , the Public Integrity Division collaborates with the Sexual Abuse Prevention and Education Office (SAPEO) to assist with the PREA Compliance Site Assessments as well as the PREA Audits within the facilities. The collaboration between OSI and SAPEO ensures a comprehensive approach to the Department’s compliance with PREA. Further, employing a team approach demonstrates to the correctional facilities that the Department is not only committed to following PREA, but also keeping staff and incarcerated individuals safe. The national PREA standards are intended to ensure an agency is effectively preventing, detecting, responding to, and monitoring allegations of sexual abuse and sexual harassment of persons in confinement facilities. National PREA auditors regularly find that OSI meets and frequently exceeds the national PREA standards which apply to investigations, specifically standard 115.34-Specialized Training: Investigations and standard 115.71 - Criminal and Administrative Agency Investigation. Consistently, national auditors are impressed with the high quality of OSI investigations, exceptional training, and thoroughness that goes into each case handled by OSI.
Within the Public Integrity Division is OSI’s Medical Review Team, consisting of medical professionals who conduct forensic medical record reviews to support investigations. OSI’s task force officer(s) serving on the FBI - NYS DOCCS Civil Rights Task Force, which is the first in the nation federal civil rights task force focused on prison and parole, are also part of this division. Whenever the Public Integrity Division finds sufficient evidence to substantiate misconduct, referrals for disciplinary action against employees and/or for criminal prosecution are made. The supervision of the Public Integrity Division is organized into two regions, east and west, each with a Deputy Chief Investigator and several Assistant Deputy Chief Investigators assigned to oversee investigations and operations within their respective geographic area.