In Memoriam: Willie Young, Former NYC Department of Corrections Captain and Criminal Justice Reform Advocate
By Gary Glennell Toms
From The G-Man spoke today with retired Chief Deputy U.S. Marshal Matthew Fogg and was informed that Willie Young, a retired New York City Department of Corrections (NYCDOC) captain and whistleblower who appeared on The G-Man Interviews, has died as a result of health-related issues.
The former law enforcement official and Chief Deputy Fogg appeared on the podcast in May of 2021 and revealed what officers in the NYCDOC had allegedly told them regarding upper-level management, questionable behavior by fellow officers, and racist policies and employment practices that had become commonplace within the department. They also explained what they believed were the main reasons why the NYCDOC, particularly Rikers Island, and detention facilities throughout the country were “powder kegs waiting to explode.”
Several days after the exclusive was published, the New York Daily News reported that NYCDOC Commissioner Cynthia Brann had decided to resign. The chief of the department retired a few weeks later, and both were named by Captain Young in the investigative report. The G-Man Interviews has not been able to determine if the report played a role in their departures, but several DOC sources believed that was the case.
Captain Young began working for the department in 2007. He was assigned to the George Motchan Detention Center and worked as an officer supervising low to high-class inmates in dorm or cell areas.
Later, he was assigned to the North Infirmary Command, where he spent three years as an officer and supervised inmates who were physically ill or injured. After his stint at the infirmary, he was assigned to the Gang Intelligence Unit as an investigator. While there, he would investigate inmate assaults, gang affiliations, the arrest of inmates and civilians, and fugitive apprehensions, to name a few.
After being promoted to the rank of Captain, he was assigned to the Otis Bantum Correctional Center, where he supervised officers in various positions within the command. Captain Young retired in 2016 with a three quarter pension due to illness.
He was also featured in the following reports:
Rage on Rikers Island: Former DOC Captain Issues Warning to Federal, State and Local Officials
Sam Cooke – A Change Is Gonna Come
From The G-Man salutes Captain Willie Young, his courage, legacy and life with this song and offers condolences to his family, friends and colleagues. May they all find some measure of comfort in the days to come, and may he forever rest in peace.