Lawsuit: Power failure at federal jail a humanitarian crisis
Source: Associated Press
Updated 11:27 am CST, Monday, February 4, 2019
NEW YORK (AP) — A power failure at a federal detention center in New York City spawned a humanitarian crisis worsened by authorities' response as guards wearing scarves and layers of clothing policed inmates who coped with "very cold" conditions in short-sleeve shirts and light pants, a lawsuit charged Monday.
The lawsuit filed in Brooklyn federal court by the Federal Defenders of New York cited numerous disruptions caused by the outage that resulted from a Jan. 27 fire at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.
Defense lawyers have not been able to visit inmates who were reporting little or no heat, little or no hot water, minimal electricity, near total lack of access to some medical services, or access to telephones, televisions, computers, laundry or commissary, it said.
Inmates also reported smelling noxious fumes and seeing prison officers wearing masks even though none were supplied to inmates, the lawsuit said.
Read more: https://www.chron.com/news/us/article/Lawsuit-Power-failure-at-federal-jail-a-13587442.php
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By Adam K. Raymond
http://nymag.com/intelligencer/2019/02/lawsuit-alleges-inhumane-conditions-in-cold-brooklyn-jail.html
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The suit, which accuses the Federal Bureau of Prisons of lying about conditions inside the jail, comes after days of protests, which began after inmates drew attention to their plight by making noise that could be heard on the streets below the jail.
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The trouble at the jail began after a January 27 electrical fire. That left the facility operating on emergency power. While common areas were dimly lit, cells were kept dark and the heating was inadequate as temperatures outside dropped to two degrees.
Out of 1600 inmates, there has to be many that are sick from this event. I hope this suit seeks proper health checks on all inmates, and seeks corrective action against officials that allowed this to continue for so long.
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