Maybe the inmates really are running the asylum.
A correction officer has been disciplined for dozing on the job after a colleague snapped a picture of her asleep while on post at a Rikers Island infirmary, officials said yesterday.
A clearly conked-out Nadja Green is leaning in a chair with her head back, arms folded, eyes closed and mouth open.
But even more alarming is an amused inmate seen hovering above her, mere inches from a set of keys that hangs from her belt.
The picture was circulated around the department, and a source e-mailed it to The Post.
Green was transferred on the island and placed on modified duty watching female inmates. She will face charges of sleeping on the job and other security- and performance-related charges.
"We do not expect this type of behavior or performance from our officers, nor do we tolerate it," said city correction spokesman Steve Morello.
The officer who took the picture, Claudel Barrau, was also transferred and placed on modified duty.
Morello said possession and use of cellphones in jails, even by guards, is prohibited.
"They are only allowed to carry a cell into a property locker and not into jail proper," Morello said. "And not where inmates circulate. It's a basic and obvious regulation and this represents a breach."
Officials said the embarrassing photo was taken earlier this month in the prison's North Infirmary Command, formerly Rikers Island Hospital, which houses nearly 400 sick prisoners.
The facility includes a wing for AIDS patients, one for sex offenders and one for exceptionally violent inmates.
The disciplined officers will not be supervising inmates, according to officials.
Morello said the picture was brought to the attention of the department's senior management.
He said officials do not believe the sleeping officer was ever in any danger. There will be no charges against the inmate in the picture.
Green, who turned 30 yesterday, has been on the job 4½ years. She lives in Queens and could not be reached for comment.
Barrau, 47, has been on the job 18 years. When approached by a Post photographer at his Long Island home, he asked, "Why are you taking my picture?"
A prison source described Green as "the Precious of Corrections," a reference to the movie about a teen from a dysfunctional family.
A source said Green had a difficult upbringing and is the mother of several children. The source said she worked 96 hours of overtime this month.
A union official said prison authorities should avoid a rush to judgment.
"Many correction officers are forced to work 70 to 80 hours of mandatory overtime," said Correction Officer Benevolent Association spokesman Michael Skelly.
"Since we don't know the particular circumstances of that particular officer, we are not going to condemn her. She may have been sick.
"We believe it was highly suspect for the other officer to take a picture and potentially jeopardize her safety."
New York Post
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