An inmate’s death in a New York prison has drawn attention amidst a continuing strike by corrections officers across the state. Jonathon Grant, aged 61, passed away at Auburn Correctional Facility over the weekend. The strike has left Governor Kathy Hochul deploying National Guard troops to manage staffing shortages.
Grant was serving a lengthy sentence for rape and burglary when he was found unresponsive in his cell. The exact cause of his death remains under investigation by a medical examiner. Questions are being raised about whether the ongoing staffing issues contributed to his demise.
The Legal Aid Society, representing incarcerated individuals, voiced concerns over the strike’s impact on medical care. They reported numerous complaints from inmates about missing essential medications like insulin and blood pressure pills. “This tragic incident highlights the dangers posed by the ongoing strike,” they stated.
Despite the strike being unauthorized by union officials, prison guards began their walkout over a week ago. A state judge has ordered them back to work, but the strike continues. The move is in violation of a state law prohibiting strikes by most public employees.
Inmates at facilities like Woodbourne Correctional Facility find themselves in lockdown due to the strike. Isaiah Waters, an inmate, described the tense atmosphere and lack of normal activities. Waters expressed concerns about the situation escalating into violence.
“The tension is building up. I’ve never seen it like this,” said Waters. He mentioned the absence of programs, religious services, and visitor access. “We’re not used to being around each other for this many hours day in and day out.”
Negotiations between state officials and the New York State Correctional Officers & Police Benevolent Association have commenced. The union is demanding better pay, staffing, and the reinstatement of solitary confinement as a disciplinary measure. Protestors gathered near the Coxsackie Correctional Facility to support the strike.
Retired officer Ed Ventre highlighted the unsafe working conditions as the strike’s primary concern. “Staffing is at an all-time low, and officers are being mandated to work 24 hours straight,” he mentioned. Gov. Hochul’s deployment of the National Guard aims to address these pressing staffing issues.
Incidents of violence within the prison system have reportedly increased. Assaults on staff and inmates have surged significantly from 2019 to 2024. This has added to the urgency for reforms demanded by the striking officers.
The situation took a grim turn last week with six guards being charged with murder. The charges came in connection with the December death of inmate Robert Brooks at the Marcy Correctional Facility. Such incidents underline the serious challenges facing the correctional system.
The ongoing strike has brought to light the pressing demands of the corrections officers. They are calling for immediate changes to improve safety and working conditions. Meanwhile, state officials continue to grapple with finding a resolution.
The National Guard’s involvement offers a temporary relief to the staffing crisis. However, the long-term solution remains in the hands of ongoing negotiations. With tensions running high, both sides are under pressure to reach an agreement.
The community and families of inmates are watching the developments closely. Many hope for a swift resolution that ensures safety and dignity for all involved. As negotiations proceed, the focus remains on achieving a fair and effective outcome.
New York is a cesspool .
Rose, not only that it’s full of shit.
Just Joking, I couldn’t miss that opportunity.
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Get lost!
Your life is unfulfilled and will remain that way; look what you do online with what you mistakenly call a life!
Get lost troll.
In the Brooks case it did not look like they lacked personnel. I believe there were somewhere around 17 employees involved at some point, but only six indicted. Watch the footage. They were coming out of the damn woodwork looking for a chance to get involved!!!!!
Wrong TEN OFFICERS and Sergeants were indicted. Before you put words in print you really ought to get your facts straight.
While this strike may be “illegal” according to the Taylor Law, it is definetally JUSTIFIED. Since the HALT Act was passed, assaults on staff (Correction Officers and Sergeants) is up over 500%! Because of these assaults the general public considers working in the prisons to be exceedingly DANGEROUS. The public is RIGHT! What was a somewhat dangerous job has been made unacceptably dangerous and has caused people to not applying for the job of a Correction Officer. The State has also changed the retirement plan for Officers and Sergeants. Overtime does not count towrd your retirment. You can’t get any more than 50% of the top three years average salary less overtime. Cost of health insurance has increaed exponentally. And the State wonders why they can’t get people to take the job?
“New York Inmate Dies Amid Illegal Prison Guard Strike” WUT? You can’t mean that NY can manage their prisons BETTER than their cities? H E DOUBLE HOCKEY STICKS, they have to send a LARGE truck around the streets just to collect the DEAD every DAY! A lone dead prisoner? As John Stossel would say, “GIVE ME A BREAK.”
It’s time to impeach this asshole Hochul she’s destroying NYC and wasting billions of taxpayers money on her asshole agendas she doesn’t care about her own citizens she’s taxing us with more taxes and trying to add tolls to spend money in her city to collect more tax money. She’s spends more of our money on illegals than on our state. This asshole is a walking disaster for our state she’s a power hungry democrat out to bankrupt or city and the people who live there. She’s done nothing to cut costs for people to survive she’s running the biggest cesspool of corruption and wasting billions of our money. Get this asshole out of office immediately recall her impeach her or make her resign now.
There will be nothing left of our state city if she remains in power
Hochul is a very insane and EVIL witch that serves Satan! That should make it clear what she is doing to NY and she belongs behind bars! She never competed for that powerful potion but was installed when Cuomo had to get lost due to all of his hanky-panky catching up with him!
Back during the Covid Scam she said God told her to recruit Apostles to get the resistors to take the jab! I wrote back at the time the following.
>God told her she needs apostles that are all jabbed and boostered to ‘get out there and tell those who didn’t get the jab to get it;’ in her words, “you know who they are so get out there and tell them to get jabbed, we love you!” Nah, I say more like we want to own you! Sounds like coercion and intimidation to me even listed in the “Nuremberg Code of Crimes Against Humanity;” very Nazi isn’t she!
This is not someone who heard from God Almighty at all, I know a few of those who actually have at times being devout servants in the Church and very saintly persons; but “the only voices she is hearing are those crazy ones in her head and the Devil himself!”<