Latest news with #McCaffery
The Journal
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Journal
Court escorts for prisoners at risk due to overcrowding, Irish prisons boss warns
THERE IS A real risk that the Irish Prison Service will not be able to transport all prisoners for court hearings, as overcrowding is putting pressure on staff to meet their escort abilities. Director General of the Irish Prison Service Caron McCaffrey warned the Department of Justice in a letter last year that the system is at 'tipping point' in respect of its ability to carry out escorts to court and maintain safe staffing standards inside its facilities. Her letter told the Department: 'Current levels of overcrowding are exacerbated by resource constraints due to ever-increasing demands for escorts.' The Journal has previously reported that record-high levels of overcrowding inside Ireland's prisons are increasing the risk of violence , seeing incarcerated people sleeping on the floor and creating a difficult working environment for staff . Speaking to journalists last month, McCaffrey said she hopes that new ankle monitoring technology will assist the service in reducing the number of people in prison who are on remand, awaiting trial, which amounts to roughly 20% of the population. The short-term remedy is also being met with additional funding to increase the number of beds that can be made available in the existing system , the department of justice has previously said. In her letter, the head of the prison system said she had 'grave concerns' around the safety of staff and prisoners, because of dire overcrowding in jails. Concerns around the length of time court escorts take, and frequency of them, were highlighted by staff at a recent Prison Officer Association conference in Galway last month. Recruitment for the Prison Service Escort Corp, which transports officers and prisoners to court and other prisons, has been a particular issue in recent years as resources become stretched. Advertisement There were 4,960 prisoners in custody at the time of McCaffery's letter, in May 2024, in which she said the Irish prison system was 'not in a position to absorb the inevitable increase in committals safely'. Since then, the number of people in custody has risen to as high as 5,400. McCaffery said the appointment of additional judges has contributed to the increases in prisoner population and court escorts. 'Undoubtedly, a large element of the current overcrowding crisis is directly related to the appointment of additional judges,' the letter said. '[This led to] the scheduling of over 600 extra court sittings this year, decisions taken when our prisons were already overcapacity and not in a position to absorb the inevitable increase in committals safely.' McCaffrey's letter was addressed to one of the most senior officials in the Department of Justice, but has only now been released following an appeal to the Information Commissioner under Freedom of Information laws. Months before the letter was sent, The Journal reported how the Irish Prison Service was using temporary release measures, when people in custody are let out periodically under strict conditions, to alleviate the system from increased levels of overcrowding . The use of the temporary release scheme is approved on a case-by-case basis. It is understood that every suitable candidate for the measure in the system has already been approved. McCaffery told the department in May 2024 that she wanted an urgent decision on new rules around who could and could not be given temporary release. She wrote: 'In the absence of an urgent decision [on temporary release measures], I need to advise you that I now have grave concerns in relation to the ability of this service to ensure the safety of both those who work and live in our prisons.' She said there had been a sharp increase in temporary release to relieve pressure, but that all the main prisons were well above operational capacity. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
L.I. teacher accused of posing as teen to solicit nude photos of underage girls
A former Long Island high school teacher who allegedly posed as a teen to solicit explicit images from underage girls has been indicted for promoting a sexual performance by a child and related charges, officials said Thursday. Ryan McCaffery, a former social studies teacher at Riverhead High School, was arrested May 12 by New York State Police following a months-long investigation. The 37-year-old Ridge resident is accused of using a fake Snapchat name to communicate with 'female children,' according to the Suffolk County district attorney. A multi-agency investigation began in Suffolk County last fall when detectives received a tip about an individual who'd allegedly shared child sexual abuse material on the messaging app Kik. Earlier this year, police executed a search warrant at McCaffery's home and recovered several electronic devices. A forensic analysis of those devices revealed the defendant had allegedly been communicating with 'multiple underage girls' while posing as a teenager on Snapchat. According to prosecutors, he sent images of his exposed genitals to the victims and requested nude photos in return. Authorities said McCaffery had also been investigated in Bergen County, N.J., after parents reported their daughters had experienced similar things on Snapchat. An investigation determined McCaffery had 'requested nude photos and engaged in sexual acts while video chatting' with victims under the age of 13. He was taken into custody in New Jersey on Feb. 14 and charged with sexual assault, child endangerment and lewdness. The case, which is not related to McCaffery's case in Suffolk County, is still pending. McCaffery was arraigned on Wednesday for the charges in New York, including multiple counts of attempted use of a child in a sexual performance and disseminating indecent material to minors. His bail was set at $100,000 cash, $400,000 bond, or a $1 million partially secured bond. He's due back in court July 17.
NDTV
14-05-2025
- NDTV
Former Teacher Posed As Teen On Snapchat, Had Explicit Chats With Minors
A former New York school teacher was arrested on Monday for allegedly posing as a teenager and extorting sexually explicit photographs from minors, police said. Ryan J McCaffery, who earlier taught at the Riverhead High School teacher, is accused of three counts of disseminating indecent material to minors, three counts of attempted use of a child - under 17 years of age - in a sexual performance and three counts of acting in a manner injurious to a child under 17. Apart from that, the 37-year-old also faces charges of promoting a sexual performance by a child under 17 and possession of a sexual performance by a child. McCaffery has pleaded not guilty to all 11 charges, police said in a statement. In January 2025, the New York State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigations (NYSP BCI) in Riverside and the Troop L Computer Crime Unit (CCU) carried out a search warrant at McCaffery's NY residence. The raid occurred after the Internet Crime Against Children (ICAC) received a cyber tip. The police seized several electronic devices from his residence. Post the search, McCaffery was interviewed, arrested and charged on February 14, 2025, with two counts of second-degree sexual assault, two counts of third-degree child endangerment, and two counts of fourth-degree lewdness in Bergen County, police said. The charges were framed after McCaffery's online conversations with juvenile victims under the age of 13 came to light. He used the Snapchat account C_chambers77 to ask for these images. Following a thorough investigation that lasted several months, McCaffery turned himself in to the New York State Police in Riverside, New York, where he was taken into custody and prosecuted. McCaffery was transported to Suffolk County First District Court for arraignment, the police said. The New York State Police and Suffolk County District Attorney's Office probe is still underway to determine if more victims existed.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Yahoo
N.Y. High School Teacher Allegedly Posed as a Teen on Snapchat to Solicit Explicit Material from Minors: Police
New York teacher Ryan McCaffery was investigated by the Bergen County, N.J., Prosecutors' Office for child sex abuse crimes in 2022, and was arrested on six sex-related crimes in February 2025 After his arrest, the New York State Police investigated him and named him a suspect in a similar December 2024 case He surrendered himself to the NYSP on Monday, May 12 and was arrested and charged with 11 sex-related crimesOne New York teacher has been charged and pleaded not guilty to 11 sex-related crime charges, after allegedly posing as a minor when asking minors for pornographic images, according to court records obtained by PEOPLE. Ryan McCaffery, 37, was charged with three counts of disseminating indecent material to minors in the first degree, three counts of attempted use of a child in a sexual performance who is under 17 years old, three counts of acting in a manner injurious to a child under 17, as well as one count for promoting a sexual performance by a child under 17 and another count of possession of sexual performance by a child, according to New York State Police (NYSP) news release. In January 2025, a search warrant was executed, and several of McCaffery's electronic devices were seized from his residence in suspected connection with sexual online chat conversations with juvenile victims under the age of 13 in 2022 in Bergen County, N.J. He allegedly communicated with a victim under the age of 13, while "purporting to be a juvenile but suspected to be an adult male," per the Bergen County, N.J., Prosecutors' Office on Friday, Feb. 14, news release. McCaffery was then interviewed by the NYSP Bureau of Criminal Investigations (BCI) and Bergen County, N.J., Prosecutors' Office. He was subsequently arrested in February 2025 and charged with two counts of second-degree sexual assault, two counts of third-degree child endangerment, and two counts of fourth-degree lewdness, according to the office's news release. McCaffery, a former Riverhead High School social studies teacher and coach, resigned from the Riverhead Central School District on Feb. 5 — just nine days before he was arrested in Bergen County. Interim Superintendent Cheryl Pedisich said in a Monday, May 12, statement that charges against McCaffery do not involve students from Riverhead High School, per Riverhead Local. After his arrest in New Jersey, the NYSP's Computer Crime Unit and the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office executed multiple search warrants and subpoenas. As a result, it was found that a stranger, who was later revealed to be McCaffery, 'was requesting nude photos and engaging in sexual acts while video chatting with victims on Snapchat,' per the NYSP. Over the past several months, the NYSP BCI continued investigating him regarding December 2024 allegations. On Monday, May 12, he surrendered himself to the NYSP in Riverside, N.Y. He was arrested, charged and transported to Suffolk County First District Court for arraignment. McCaffery is scheduled to appear in New Jersey court on Thursday, May 15, and Monday, June 16 in Long Island, N.Y. This investigation is ongoing. Any parent or guardian who believes their child received inappropriate communications from the Snapchat username 'C_chambers77' should contact the New York State Police at 631-756-3300. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual abuse, text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor. If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages. Read the original article on People
New York Post
13-05-2025
- New York Post
Long Island teacher who pretended to be a minor to fool kids into sending dirty pics hit with unsettling new charges: report
An allegedly skeezy former Long Island teacher was slapped with new child porn charges — months after New Jersey cops said he posed as a minor to troll kids for explicit photos. Ryan McCaffery, 37, trudged into a Suffolk County courtroom Monday to face arraignment on a slew of sickening sex crime charges, including promoting a sexual performance of a child under 17 and possession of child porn, court records show. The Ridge man is accused of asking kids under the age of 14 for nude photos on Snapchat, as well as engaging in sexual acts during the degenerate chats, Newsday first reported. The chats unfolded in December, police said. 3 Ryan McCaffery was arrested a second time this week on accusations he had explicit online chats with children. News 12 Long Island 3 McCaffery resigned from Riverhead High School before he was charged in New Jersey. Google Maps 3 Both cases against McCaffery resulted from a New York State Police cyber crime probe, cops said. Bergen County Sheriff's Office McCaffery, a former social studies teacher and coach at Riverhead High School, had been arrested during February in a separate, but connected Bergen County, New Jersey case. Garden State cops said McCaffery had requested nude photos from two kids under the age of 13 during explicit online chats in 2022. Those accusations arose from a New York State Police cyber crime investigation that led to a Jan. 17 raid on McCaffery's home, police said. McCaffery sat for a joint interview with state and Bergen County police that led to the New Jersey charges, cops said. He resigned from Riverhead schools shortly before those charges dropped — and school officials were steadfast they didn't involve local kids. Likewise, the kids allegedly victimized in the new case aren't Riverhead students, Newsday reported. McCaffery pleaded not guilty to the 11 counts leveled by Suffolk County prosecutors and a judge set bail with non-monetary conditions, records show. He's next due to appear in New Jersey court on Thursday, and June 16 in Long Island.
