N.Y.C. Jail Officers Sue Over Working Conditions: ‘It Was Hell’

The lawsuit comes as the city’s new correction chief acknowledged “severe” problems and promised to make changes.

One correction officer waited 90 minutes to receive medical attention after his appendix burst, passing out three times because of the pain. Another spent hours “in a wet uniform and in pain” when denied the opportunity to pump breast milk. Others said they regularly worked 20-hour shifts without bathroom breaks or access to food and water. A lawsuit filed this week by a union that represents New York City’s jail officers accuses officials of creating an inhumane working environment at the Rikers Island complex during the coronavirus pandemic, compelling officers to work brutally long shifts in unsanitary and often dangerous conditions. The suit, filed by the Correction Officers’ Benevolent Association, comes two months after a federal monitor’s report that found a “pervasive level of disorder and chaos” at the city’s jails. The filing followed a string of scandals, reports of surging violence and the deaths of a half-dozen people behind bars.