COXSACKIE, N.Y.—A wildcat strike by guards at New York’s prisons, now in its second week, is fueling fears over deteriorating conditions behind bars.
A 61-year-old inmate died over the weekend at one of the prisons where National Guard troops were deployed to replace corrections officers who walked off the job. Jonathon Grant, who was serving a 34-to-40-year sentence for rape and burglary, was pronounced dead Saturday after being found unresponsive in his cell at the Auburn Correctional Facility, state officials said.
It wasn’t clear if the prison’s staffing situation was a factor in Grant’s death. State officials didn’t immediately release information about his health history. A medical examiner will determine the cause of death, state prison system spokesperson Thomas Mailey said….