New York inmate dies in prison as guards continue strike deemed illegal under state law

An inmate died in a New York prison as guards at institutions across the state continue their strike, which is now in its second week.

Jonathon Grant, 61, died over the weekend at one of the prisons where corrections officers walked off the job to strike. National Guard troops were deployed by Gov. Kathy Hochul to fill in during their absence in efforts to alleviate staffing issues.

Grant was pronounced dead Saturday after he was found unresponsive in his cell at the Auburn Correctional Facility. He was serving a 34-to-40-year sentence for rape and burglary.

It’s unclear if prison staffing played a role in Grant’s death. The manner in which he died will be determined by a medical examiner.

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The public defender’s office that provided legal counsel to Grant expressed concern that the strike may have impacted medical care for inmates.

“Since the strike began, Legal Aid has received dozens of reports from incarcerated clients across New York State about their inability to access critical medical care and essential prescriptions, including blood pressure medication and necessary insulin shots,” The Legal Aid Society said in a statement. “This tragic incident highlights the dangers posed by the ongoing strike, as staff in over 40 prisons refuse to fulfill their duties.”

Guards at New York’s state prisons began walking out on the job a week ago, even though the move was not approved by union officials, who acknowledge that it violates a state law prohibiting strikes by most public employees.

A judge has ordered the striking officers to return to work, but they remain on strike.

Woodbourne Correctional Facility inmate Isaiah Waters told The Associated Press that his cell block has been on lockdown for a week. He said four National Guard officers were assigned to his 57-person dorm, along with members of a correctional emergency response unit.

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“The tension is building up. I’ve never seen it like this,” Waters said. “There’s no programming, no religious services, you can’t send mail or get visitors. We’re not used to being around each other for this many hours day in and day out.”

Waters, 37, said he expected the situation to worsen.

“They want the atmosphere to become violent to prove a point about staffing,” he said. “It’s like we’re caught in the crossfire between the union and their gripes with Albany and the administrators.”

Negotiations between state officials and the New York State Correctional Officers & Police Benevolent Association, the union representing the guards, began Monday. Prison workers are seeking better pay, better staffing, improved safety measures and authorization to again begin using solitary confinement as a disciplinary tool.

More than 100 corrections officers and supporters protested Monday near the Coxsackie Correctional Facility in the Hudson Valley. Some carried signs reading “NYS Failed Us” and “Wildcats.”

Retired corrections officer Ed Ventre said the strike was mostly about unsafe working conditions.

“No one has ever seen the amount of violence and disregard for the safety of the officers, not to mention the fact that staffing is at an all-time low and officers are being mandated to work 24 hours straight with the threat of termination should they leave the prison,” Ventre said.

Assaults on prison system staff jumped from 1,043 in 2019 to 1,938 in the first 11 months of 2024, according to state officials. Meanwhile, assaults on inmates ballooned from 1,267 in 2019 to 2,697 for the first 11 months of 2024.

Last week, six guards were charged with murder in the December beating death of inmate Robert Brooks at the Marcy Correctional Facility.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.