Bayview Correctional Facility

Once a medium-security women’s prison located on W. 20th Street in Manhattan, Bayview Correctional Facility now only serves as a horrific reminder of the four decades of rampant sexual abuse permitted to take place while in operation.

In 2004, a former Bayview Correctional Facility inmate filed a lawsuit claiming repeated sexual abuse and rape by a corrections officer, resulting in pregnancy during incarceration. The case was settled at $360,000, with subsequent criminal charges to which the corrections officer pled guilty to 3rd-degree rape. This was the first case to signal warnings about the devastating misconduct occurring at Bayview and the first of many to come to light.

A federal survey published in 2010 revealed that the percentage of alleged sexual abuse reported by Bayview’s inmates by staff was the highest in the country. At least 12% of incarcerated individuals between 2008 to 2009 reported a form of sexual abuse. This is five times higher than the national average of 2.2% of sexual abuse claims reported in women’s prisons nationwide.

Bayview Correctional Facility was permanently closed in 2012 after sustaining significant storm damage from Hurricane Sandy. Though many claims were made during its existence, it wasn’t until the passing of the New York Adult Survivors Act on May 24, 2022, that hundreds of women came forward alleging horrendous acts of sexual misconduct against corrections officers and other staff employed by the institution. This law grants adult survivors of sexual abuse a one-year lookback window in which to file a claim against individual abusers, employers, and institutions for intentional acts of sexual abuse and negligence that allowed such behaviors to occur.

The Bureau of Justice classifies any and all acts of sexual contact against a prisoner, non-consensual or consensual, as sexual abuse and harassment. The New York Adult Survivors Act allows any inmate who suffered a form of sexual abuse by a corrections officer or staff at the Bayville Correctional Facility the opportunity to have their voices heard and seek compensation for the unspeakable crimes committed against them. Claims can be filed beginning on November 24, 2022 and ending on November 24, 2023. It’s extremely important to file a claim before the deadline to hold all parties accountable before the statute of limitations expires.

If you or someone you love has suffered this form of abuse and wishes to file a claim, please contact Slater Slater Schulman LLP for a free, confidential consultation by filling out the form on this page or by calling our office at (800) 251-6990.