The Legal Aid Society is denouncing a decision by the New York City Department of Correction (DOC) to revoke the New York City Board of Correction’s (BOC) access to jail video footage.

“The New York City charter establishes the BOC as the watchdog over the jails and assigns BOC the power and duty to review all deaths in custody,” reads a statement from Legal Aid. “Viewing real-time video footage from the jails allows BOC to immediately dispatch field staff to address situations like impending riots, to investigate deaths in custody, and to monitor the conditions in the jails.”

“The Mayor’s ham-fisted move serves no purpose except to hide the violence, chaos and mismanagement that pervades his jails and endangers our incarcerated clients every day,” the statement continues.