Newly released statistics show that 2014 was a violent year on Rikers Island.
Obtained through a public records request, the figures show that correction officers reportedly used force more than 4,000 times last year.
Force is considered everything from pepper spray to punches.
Norman Seabrook, the head of the largest correction officers' union, says the numbers are higher because guards are filing more reports.
He says it is because they are trying to protect themselves from punishment and legal action.
The report comes as federal prosecutors, who have sued to speed up reforms at the jail, are meeting with city lawyers and corrections officials.