Officials: Deaths of 2 Sing Sing prisoners found unresponsive in their cells under investigation
The men, 35-year-old Franklyn Dominguez and 67-year-old Anthony Douglas, were found unresponsive in their cells hours apart Tuesday night, according to a representative for the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision.
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News 12 is learning about the deaths of two Sing Sing prisoners who state officials say were found unresponsive Wednesday in their cells, as New York’s prison strike continues for the 11th day.
The men, 35-year-old Franklyn Dominguez and 67-year-old Anthony Douglas, were found unresponsive in their cells hours apart Wednesday night, according to a representative for the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision. An investigation into the causes of their deaths are underway.
Chilling video obtained by News 12 from inside the prison appears to show the moments when sources say Sing Sing prisoners watched on from their cells while a stretcher was wheeled in for one of the two inmates who died.
The incidents are shining a spotlight on widespread concerns from activists and prisoners’ loved ones about the safety and conditions inside prisons during the crisis and whether there’s enough staff to properly care for the incarcerated population.
“I am so upset and overwhelmed,” says one woman whose son is incarcerated at Fishkill Correctional Facility. “Am I going to get a call or knock on my door that he’s not here anymore?”
Jerome Wright, co-director of the #HALTsolitary Campaign, released a statement saying in part, “How many more of us have to die before Governor Hochul, the DOCCS Commissioner, and the state legislature act? Since the state is not able to ensure the health or lives of the people in its custody, the Governor must immediately begin releasing people, starting with elderly and vulnerable people, through expansive use of her power of executive clemency.”
State corrections officers have been on strike since Feb. 17 and are protesting what they say are unsafe working conditions caused by the solitary confinement reform act HALT, severe staffing shortages and 24-hour mandated shifts. Since then, Gov. Kathy Hochul deployed thousands of troops with the New York National Guard to report to duty at prisons statewide.
DOCCS, which oversees state prisons, says Sing Sing staff immediately called an ambulance during the medical emergencies on Tuesday and began lifesaving measures for Dominguez and Douglass - including CPR, Narcan and AED. It says deaths that appear to be from other than natural causes or a known medical condition are investigated by New York State Police and DOCCS’ Office of Special Investigations; and that all deaths in DOCCS’ facilities are reviewed by the State Commission of Correction.
News 12 spoke to the mother of an incarcerated individual at Eastern Correctional Facility in Napanoch. She says he’s been sick for four days, has yet to be seen by a medical doctor and has access to limited food or drinking water.
“He can’t drink the water because it’s rusty. He’s depressed because they’re locked in their cells 24 hours. My son will call me, and I hear [incarcerated individuals] yelling out that they want to get out,” says the woman who asked not to be identified. “It’s abuse what’s going on.”
News 12 previously reported on alleged deteriorating prison building conditions in videos exclusively shared by members of the New York National Guard, who are living and working in facilities like Sing Sing, Otisville and Shawangunk – just to name a few. They say they’re being housed in unused portions of prisons that, in some cases, don’t have heat or plumbing and are sleeping on dirty floors without access to cots or enough food and water. They say troops are being put in dangerous situations and are working hands-on with incarcerated individuals, which they’re not trained to do.
“We all agree that Afghanistan was better than the conditions in these prisons. We have soldiers getting feces thrown at them, [bodily fluids] thrown at them. They are responding to suicide calls by inmates. We are not trained for this,” said a New York National Guard member who asked not to be identified. “We all raised our hand to serve our country and get the mission done but at the same time, we expect a level of support form our leaders above us.”
DOCCS has not responded to the allegations made by the National Guard members but released a statement saying the situation is “not sustainable” and that finding a solution to get corrections officers back to work is “critical.” A representative from Hochul’s office also did not respond to the specific allegations but said they’re grateful to the members of the national guard for maintaining safety and security in prisons during the crisis and are working to ensure proper supports are in place for troops to safely carry out their duties.
State officials say three days of moderated negotiations ended late Tuesday night and that leaders are working on an offer to get striking corrections officers to return.
“Something needs to be done,” says one prisoner’s mother. “The government needs to step up and they need to fix it. The system has been broken for years.”
The Sing Sing deaths are among at least three at prisons statewide during the strike.
