Latest news with #JonathanGrant
Yahoo
05-03-2025
- Yahoo
Lawsuit claims NYS prisons violate the Constitution by denying inmates legal counsel access
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — The Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS) is being sued by the New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) over claims the Prisoners' Legal Services (PLS) has been unable to communicate openly with clients incarcerated at DOCCS facilities amid the strikes. Correctional officers at nearly all New York State prisons have been on strike since Feb. 17, calling for safer working conditions and a repeal of the HALT Act. As a result of these unsanctioned strikes, visitation was initially canceled at several striking facilities, a move that has since been modified, with safety enhancements and requirements for visitors added, including the use of body scanners for folks looking to visit DOCCS facilities. This new lawsuit, filed on behalf of PLS on Tuesday, claims that since the strikes started, inmates have been denied proper access to legal representation by PLS. 'PLS has been unable to speak securely to many of its current and prospective clients, despite reports that people on the inside cannot access medicine, healthcare, and food, that incarcerated individuals are being held in solitary confinement, that assaults within the prison are going unaddressed by staff, and that at least seven people have died, among other deprivations,' the lawsuit stated. 15 now on leave after inmate death at Mid-State prison The strikes are nearing the three-week mark, despite a deal struck that includes penalties for those who've continued to strike after March 1. In one example, the lawsuit claimed one of PLS' clients was assaulted by correctional staff at the Mid-State Correctional Facility this weekend. 'PLS attorneys have been attempting to have a legal call with a client at Mid-State Correctional Facility, who has a March 20, 2025 deadline for a notice of appeal in a work release challenge in state court. On March 3, his PLS attorney received a report that this client was assaulted by members of the prison's correctional staff on or around Friday, Feb. 28, or Saturday, March 1,' the lawsuit claimed. Of the reported deaths of incarcerated individuals in recent weeks, the lawsuit claimed that the death of one inmate in particular, Jonathan Grant at Auburn Correctional Facility, was the direct result of his medical help requests being denied. It's alleged the 61-year-old man had several strokes, including at least one in the week prior to his death, the lawsuit stated. The lawsuit claimed PLS clients at DOCCS facilities have been unable to schedule legal visits since Feb. 18. 'The suspension of legal calls at several DOCCS facilities, including but not limited to Attica, Auburn, Franklin, Marcy and Midstate, is indefinite. Legal visits are indefinitely suspended at those facilities and many more,' the lawsuit stated. According to the lawsuit, these actions violate the First and Fourteenth Amendments of the U.S. Constitution. The lawsuit is asking for a reversal of these limitations and award costs and reasonable attorneys' fees. News 8 reached out to DOCCS for comment but officials were unable to provide a statement citing ongoing litigation. Read the full lawsuit below: doccs-lawsuitDownload Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
24-02-2025
- Yahoo
Inmate found dead in cell at upstate New York prison
AUBURN, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) — The Department of Corrections and Community Supervision has confirmed the death of one inmate at Auburn Correctional Facility in upstate New York. According to DOCCS, 61-year-old Jonathan Grant was found unresponsive in his cell at Auburn Correctional Facility on Saturday, Feb. 22. He was pronounced dead around 8:30 a.m., according to officials. More: Latest News from Around the Tri-State Grant was convicted of rape and burglary. He had been serving 34 to 40 years for the crimes committed in Brooklyn, officials said. DOCCS released the following statement: 'Jonathan Grant (DOB 11/11/1963; DIN 11A3550) was pronounced dead at approximately 8:32 a.m. on 02/22/2025 at Auburn Correctional Facility. He was found unresponsive in his cell. Facility security and medical staff, along with a National Guard member began life-saving measures including CPR and Narcan was administered. Upon arrival, local EMTs took over care of Mr. Grant until he was pronounced dead by a Paramedic. Mr. Grant was serving a sentence of 34 – 40 years after being convicted of Rape in the 1st degree and Burglary in the 1st degree.. The crimes were committed in Kings County. He was received into DOCCS custody on 08/11/2011.' Department of Corrections and Community Supervision This comes as prison workers have been on strike since Tuesday, Feb. 18. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
New York Times
24-02-2025
- New York Times
Inmate Dies at N.Y. Prison as Corrections Officers' Strike Continues
An inmate at a New York State prison was pronounced dead on Saturday after being found unresponsive in his cell, state officials said. The inmate, Jonathan Grant, 61, was found on Saturday morning at the Auburn Correctional Facility in Cayuga County, just west of Syracuse, according to the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision. Security and medical workers at the prison and a member of the National Guard tried to revive him but were unsuccessful, said Thomas Mailey, a spokesman for the corrections department. The cause of Mr. Grant's death is under investigation. He had been unwell, according to two prisoners at Auburn and another person who reviewed information about Mr. Grant's health. That person said Mr. Grant had had several strokes: At least five were documented, including at least one in the past few weeks. The two prisoners said Mr. Grant had asked for medical help days earlier but had been brushed off. The corrections department did not respond to questions about Mr. Grant's health before his death. Mr. Grant entered custody in 2011 and was serving a sentence of 34 to 40 years for first-degree rape and burglary, Mr. Mailey said. His death comes amid mounting tension and public scrutiny of the state's prison system. Corrections officers at dozens of facilities, including Auburn, have continued wildcat strikes for days — without their union's authorization and in defiance of a judge's order — to protest what they say are dangerous working conditions, severe staffing shortages and forced overtime. Last week, Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, deployed National Guard soldiers to act as replacement workers. The strikes, the first widespread work stoppage in New York's prisons since a 16-day walkout by officers in 1979, are also playing out just weeks after officers at another state prison fatally beat a 43-year-old inmate, Robert Brooks. Ten officers have been criminally charged in connection with the killing, six of them with murder. Some prisoners' rights advocates have accused the striking officers of trying to distract attention from their colleagues' role in Mr. Brooks's death. Even as the cause of Mr. Grant's death remains unknown, advocates of prison safety say that the strikes are creating hazardous conditions for inmates and warn that more deaths may occur if the labor dispute is not quickly resolved. 'We are hearing from clients across the state that they are not receiving critical medical care,' said Antony Gemmell, supervising lawyer for the Prisoners' Rights Project at the Legal Aid Society. 'If these strikes continue, I think it's a question not of if we will see more deaths, but when.' Likewise, the Correctional Association of New York, the nonprofit designated by state law to provide independent prison oversight, blamed the union for creating the circumstances that led to Mr. Grant's not receiving medical attention. 'There's just bound to be medical crises that get missed during this — it happens already,' Jennifer Scaife, the association's executive director, said. 'It's very scary to just imagine being in that situation and there's no one there to come to your assistance.' The correction officers' union declined to comment on Sunday. The state has scrambled to quell the labor dispute. Last week, the state corrections commissioner suspended enforcement of parts of a state law that places limits on solitary confinement — a move the Prisoners' Rights Project calls unlawful and dangerous to inmates. Many corrections officers have said that the law has made their jobs more dangerous and difficult and have called for its repeal. In a statement on Sunday, the governor's office called on the striking officers to return to work, saying that they were 'jeopardizing the safety of their colleagues, the incarcerated population, and causing undue fear for the residents in the surrounding communities.' The strike has continued even though a state judge in Erie County issued a temporary restraining order last week requiring striking officers to return to work immediately. He has given the officers until Tuesday to show why the strikes are proper. At the maximum-security prison where Mr. Grant died, corrections officers had been on strike for several days. Prisoners there told The New York Times on Sunday that National Guard soldiers had stepped in to do security rounds, often accompanied by one corrections officer. Around 10 p.m. on Friday, the prisoners said, two National Guard members and a corrections officer conducted a security check in the unit to make sure all of the prisoners were accounted for. But one prisoner, Mr. Grant, did not respond, according to a prisoner whose cell is near Mr. Grant's. During a 7 a.m. check the next day, Mr. Grant was again unresponsive, the prisoner said. After attempts to revive him failed, Mr. Grant was pronounced dead at 8:32 a.m.
Yahoo
23-02-2025
- Yahoo
Inmate found dead in cell at Auburn Correctional Facility
AUBURN, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) — The Department of Corrections and Community Supervision has confirmed the death of one inmate at Auburn Correctional Facility. According to DOCCS, 61-year-old Jonathan Grant was found unresponsive in his cell at Auburn Correctional Facility on Saturday, February 22. Grant was pronounced dead around 8:30 am. Grant was convicted of rape and burglary. He had been serving 34 to 40 years. DOCCS released the following statement: 'Jonathan Grant (DOB 11/11/1963; DIN 11A3550) was pronounced dead at approximately 8:32 a.m. on 02/22/2025 at Auburn Correctional Facility. He was found unresponsive in his cell. Facility security and medical staff, along with a National Guard member began life-saving measures including CPR and Narcan was administered. Upon arrival, local EMTs took over care of Mr. Grant until he was pronounced dead by a Paramedic. Mr. Grant was serving a sentence of 34 – 40 years after being convicted of Rape in the 1st degree and Burglary in the 1st degree.. The crimes were committed in Kings County. He was received into DOCCS custody on 08/11/2011.' DOCCS This comes, as prison workers have been on strike since Tuesday, February 18. This is an ongoing story. We will update you as we learn more. Inmate found dead in cell at Auburn Correctional Facility Closure planned for Sunset Ave. I-81N on-ramp in Syracuse Heavy snow causes Barneveld Fire Station to collapse Long-term lane closure planned for South Bay Road bridge in Cicero State police investigate serious vehicle crash in St. Lawrence County Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
