IN RE: Curtis FARROW (2008)

Proceeding pursuant to CPLR article 78 (transferred to this Court by order of the Supreme Court, entered in Albany County) to review a determination of the Commissioner of Correctional Services which found petitioner guilty of violating a prison disciplinary rule.

Petitioner, a prison inmate, was charged in a misbehavior report with assaulting another inmate.   At the conclusion of a tier III disciplinary hearing, petitioner was found guilty as charged.   That determination was affirmed upon administrative appeal and this CPLR article 78 proceeding seeking annulment ensued.

We confirm.   The determination of guilt is supported by substantial evidence in the form of the detailed misbehavior report, hearing testimony from the correction sergeant who authored the report, and confidential hearing testimony considered by the Hearing Officer in camera (see Matter of Morris v. Goord, 50 A.D.3d 1327, 1327, 855 N.Y.S.2d 307 [2008] ).   Although the Hearing Officer did not personally interview the confidential informants, he properly assessed their reliability by making sufficient inquiries of the correction sergeants who received the confidential information (see Matter of Catlin v. Gouverneur Correctional Facility, 38 A.D.3d 1025, 1026, 832 N.Y.S.2d 309 [2007] ).   Petitioner's remaining contentions, including his claims that the misbehavior report was defective and the penalty imposed was excessive, have been examined and found to be unavailing.

ADJUDGED that the determination is confirmed, without costs, and petition dismissed.