Lawsuit claims inmates restricted from speaking with legal counsel amid strikes
New York State prison (file photo)
ALBANY, N.Y. — The New York Civil Liberties Union has filed a lawsuit claiming the state has restricted inmates from communicating with legal counsel amid the corrections officers’ strikes.
NYCLU is suing the state’s Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, saying the agency is undermining inmates’ right to justice and due process. NYCLU also says the strikes have severely disrupted access to medical care and other daily necessities.
Even though the union representing corrections officers has reached an agreement with DOCCS on working conditions, corrections officers are continuing to strike at multiple prisons at last check. As of Monday, there were still picket lines at 32 state correctional facilities. People on the picket lines have told News10NBC that, although the deal addresses some demands, it hasn’t permanently repealed the HALT Act.
RELATED:
- Health insurance ending for corrections officers still on strike; National Guard still deployed (March 3)
- Photos show National Guard sleeping on cots, mats in NY prisons amid corrections officer strike (March 3)
- Prison guards at Groveland Correctional Facility face threats of job loss, penalties as they strike for better conditions (March 3)
- Tentative agreement reached between union and state leaders, aiming to end prison staff strikes (Feb. 28)