Home US News New York City inmates stuck in dark, freezing cells, lawyers say

US News

New York City inmates stuck in dark, freezing cells, lawyers say

February 2, 2019

1281

New York City inmates stuck in dark, freezing cells, lawyers say

Updated on: February 2, 2019 / 6:07 PM / CBS/AP

Hundreds of inmates at a federal jail in New York City have spent days in cold, dark cells amid frigid weather and without access to visitors or email, attorneys for the inmates said Friday. The lack of heat and power at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn was first reported in The New York Times.

Lawyers from the Federal Defenders office said there's been limited electricity, heat and hot water at the jail at least since there was a fire at the facility on Sunday. They said all recreational activities as well as visits from lawyers and family members have been canceled.

A spokeswoman for Herman Quay, the jail's warden, told the Times in an email that the building experienced a partial power outage on Saturday, but she denied that it had affected heat and hot water in the jail's housing units. Jail officials did not respond to an email and phone call from The Associated Press. The jail's website says: "All visiting at this facility has been suspended until further notice."

"My understanding is they're fully locked down in their dark cells," said Dierdre von Dornum, the lead federal defender in Brooklyn.

Von Dornum said clients at the jail have reported that there are no lights other than dim emergency lights in the corridors and no access to the computers that inmates use to request prescription medications and to email family members and attorneys.

Later Friday, U.S. Rep. Nydia Velazquez, a New York Democrat, tweeted that she visited the jail earlier in the day and that "it appears there is some restored heat, hot water & hot meals being served." However, she added, the prison was "still cold & dark" and "we weren't allowed to speak with inmates, unclear if blankets are being distributed."

"After visiting MDC again today it is clear the officials there have disregarded the basic human rights of inmates. This appalling situation needs to be fixed and I will continue pressuring BOP for immediate action," Velazquez tweeted Saturday.

This undated image shows the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. Google Maps

Letitia James, the state's attorney general, also tweeted that "it is unacceptable, illegal, and inhumane to detain people without amenities, access to counsel, or medical care. … I demand answers."

Eric Phillips, spokesman for New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, has been reaching out to federal officials who run the facility, offering assistance.

Officials with the American Federation of Government Employees, the union that represents corrections officers at the jail, confirmed the lawyers' accounts of the jail conditions in interviews with the Times.

"They just stay huddled up in the bed," said June Bencebi, a case manager at the jail and the treasurer of the local chapter of the union. Union officials did not respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press.

Inmates called for help by banging on windows and flashing lights, according to the New York Daily News.

Rhonda Barnwell, who works in the jail's medical station, told the News the facility had no electricity and was on a generator.

"They're just waiting for a disaster to happen," she said. "There's only heat in the afternoons since we've been complaining today. … It's been very dangerous."

Lawyers for several inmates at the jail have filed motions asking the courts to intervene, citing health risks to clients.

A motion filed Thursday in Brooklyn federal court on behalf of inmate Dino Sanchez by the Federal Defenders says that Sanchez, who suffers from asthma, "has been left to freeze in his short-sleeved jumpsuit in the dark." The court papers say that jail officials have taken no steps to provide Sanchez with "an oxygen mask, clothing, blankets, or access to a habitable location that will mitigate his health risks."

A hearing has been scheduled for Tuesday in the case of another inmate, Jose Segura-Genao, after his lawyer Ezra Spilke asked a judge in Manhattan federal court for a conference to address "inhumane conditions" at the jail.

Inmates' only access to the outside world has been a dedicated phone link to the Federal Defenders, several lawyers said, so inmates who are represented by other attorneys have been unable to contact them. Spilke said his only information about clients at the detention facility, including Seguro-Genao, has been second- or third-hand.

"I need to find out what's going on with my clients," Spilke said. "They've basically been incommunicado from their attorneys since the 27th, which is when the electrical fire happened."

Spilke said the temperature inside the building where Seguro-Genao is housed has reportedly been as low as 43 degrees Fahrenheit. The Times reported one inmate said a corrections officer found the temperature in a housing unit was 34 degrees Fahrenheit.

Spilke said Segura-Genao has no warm blanket or money in his commissary account to buy a sweatshirt or thermal underwear.

"The last time I saw him he didn't even have socks," Spilke said.

First published on February 2, 2019

New York City inmates stuck in dark, freezing cells, lawyers say

Lawyers claim there's been limited electricity, heat and hot water at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn

updated 0M ago

Hawaiian Airlines flight canceled after turning back three times

A travel nightmare come true

updated 18M ago

Virginia governor says he was not in racist yearbook photo

Gov. Ralph Northam claimed that he was not one of the two people in the racist photo in his yearbook

1H ago

Virginia governor is not resigning after racist photo surfaces

Northam said Friday night he is "deeply sorry for the decision I made to appear as I did in this photo"

1H ago

Groundhog Day 2019: Punxsutawney Phil predicts early spring

Punxsutawney Phil made the prediction as the Midwest and East Coast recovers from this week's Arctic blast

3H ago

Virginia governor says he was not in racist yearbook photo

Gov. Ralph Northam claimed that he was not one of the two people in the racist photo in his yearbook

1H ago

Virginia governor is not resigning after racist photo surfaces

Northam said Friday night he is "deeply sorry for the decision I made to appear as I did in this photo"

1H ago

Ronny Jackson, Trump's former physician, appointed chief medical adviser

Jackson's nomination for VA secretary was torpedoed by allegations of inappropriate work behavior

4H ago

Supreme Court temporarily blocks Louisiana abortion clinic law

The law was set to take effect Monday

8H ago

Schumer aide asked to leave position over “inappropriate encounters”

Matt House served as Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer's communications director

8H ago

Meghan Markle writes messages to sex workers on bananas

Some of the messages said, "You are special," "You are strong" and "You are brave"

4H ago

King Tut's tomb unveiled after being restored to its ancient splendor

The crypt underwent its first major renovation since it was discovered in the 1920s

7H ago

Russia to pull plug on nuclear arms pact after U.S. backs out

Russia will abandon a centerpiece nuclear arms treaty but only deploy intermediate-range nuclear missiles if Washington does so, Putin said

8H ago

Pence speaks to cheering Venezuelan exiles in Miami

Following Pence's speech, Venezuelan-state run television, Tele Sur, showed Maduro marching with a couple thousand members of the Venezuelan military

19H ago

Meteorite appears to hit Cuba

In a tweet, the National Weather Service said its radar "may have detected the meteor" at 1:21 p.m. near Viñales, Cuba

21H ago

Cardi B declined Super Bowl halftime show with "mixed feelings"

She said she felt obligated to "stand behind" Colin Kaepernick

7H ago

"Fiji Water Girl" suing Fiji Water

Woman who photobombed Golden Globes as brand ambassador says Fiji Water exploited her image without permission

22H ago

Thunderbirds "reliant on Gladys Knight" for Super Bowl stadium flyover

A high-speed, death-defying squadron of fighter pilots steer F-16 jets through awe-inducing maneuvers – but timing will be key

Feb 1

Serena Williams calls on women to make the first move

The tennis star has teamed up with dating and social networking app Bumble for a new campaign called "The Ball Is In Her Court"

updated 33M ago

Linda Ronstadt: "I'm afraid of suffering, but I'm not afraid of dying"

In this preview of a "Sunday Morning" interview airing Feb. 3, the singer-songwriter opens up about her career, the loss of her singing voice, and living with Parkinson's disease

Feb 1

Meteorite appears to hit Cuba

In a tweet, the National Weather Service said its radar "may have detected the meteor" at 1:21 p.m. near Viñales, Cuba

21H ago

"Lies spread faster than truth" on social media, journalist says

The CEO of Rappler alleged the online news website has been targeted by social media disinformation campaigns after its tough reporting on the government

21H ago

Possum was living in unused, $1M taxpayer-funded bus

The zero-emission bus was never put into service

Feb 1

Steaming lakes and thundersnow: Weird winter weather explained

Extreme cold weather can produce some unusual phenomena, from sea smoke to slushy ocean waves

Feb 1

The next industrial revolution is happening in your home

Here's how the global business and political elite at the World Economic Forum in Davos think the Internet of Things, big data, and artificial intelligence will change the world

Feb 1

How a game-changing helmet design could prevent concussions

It's unbelievable to a Berkeley doctor that there's not a better way to protect players from the kind of head injuries he sees routinely

6H ago

Critically ill football fans get their wish to attend Super Bowl LIII

Lucky Kelley, Brian Barrios and Gunter Garvin all love football and had the same wish to see the Super Bowl in person

20H ago

Lawmaker: Measles vaccine is not about "parental rights"

As measles outbreak grows, a state lawmaker says requiring vaccines is "about the rights of other children and the rights of us to go around our community without getting sick"

Feb 1