Rikers Detainees Were Kept Locked in Cells After Fire Broke Out

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New York|Rikers Detainees Were Kept Locked in Cells After Fire Broke Out https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/23/nyregion/rikers-island-fire-report.html Advertisement SKIP ADVERTISEMENT A report by the Board of Correction found that eight people remained in their cells for a half-hour while smoke spread through a housing unit.
A Board of Correction report found a series of procedural lapses in the Correction Department’s response to a fire on Rikers Island
Credit...José A. Alvarado Jr. for The New York Times For nearly 30 minutes in April, Rikers Island staff members kept eight people locked in their cells while the workers tried to extinguish a fire and smoke spread through a housing unit, according to a report from the city’s Board of Correction.
A review of the Department of Correction’s response to the fire revealed a series of lapses in protocol, according to the investigation by the nine-member board, the agency responsible for protecting the rights of incarcerated people.