Jail safety remains a concern

The Nassau County Sheriff Officers Association held a press conference in front of the Correctional Center on March 2 to highlight safety problems at the facility.

With five inmate suicides and one homicide since January 2010, union President John Jeronzynk called on County Sheriff Michael Sposato and County Executive Edward Mangano to institute new regulations to ensure the safety of inmates, correction officers and visitors.

“These are very startling, very troubling statistics for the Nassau County Correctional Center and ones the Nassau County Sheriff Officers Association take very seriously,” Jeronzynk said of the inmate deaths. “The county’s recent decision to privatize inmate health care and cut staff training are putting the safety and lives of correction officers, inmates and staff at risk.”

According to union officials, Armor, the private health care provider at the jail since June 2011, is not prepared to deal with medical emergencies. It was correction officers who provided basic life support and administered CPR to East Meadow High School graduate Bartholomew Ryan, 32, for 25 minutes after he was found hanging in his cell on Feb. 24, Jeronzynk said. While the incident is still under investigation, Jeronzynk added that the correction officers “performed admirably and went above and beyond.”

“With respect to the inmate’s death last week,” Sposato said, “while I certainly share in the sorrow expressed over this tragic loss of life, I caution everyone to refrain from jumping to premature and speculative conclusions while the investigation remains in its very early and initial stages.”

County Legislator Norma Gonsalves, who helped form the Jail Advisory Committee in 1990, said she spoke with Sposato after Ryan’s death and was told that correction officers acted appropriately. “When there are concerns raised … I will investigate, I will explore and I will get to the bottom of what’s going on,” Gonsalves said. “There is no way I would sit back and do nothing.”

The Jail Advisory Committee is made up of East Meadow civic and organization leaders and school administrators.

All correction officers were once required to attend 40 hours of training each year. But this requirement has dwindled to 16 hours, Jeronzynk said, and necessary courses like suicide awareness, CPR and first aid are not being offered this year.

“Unfortunately, in a correctional facility, when you try to do more with less, people can get hurt or killed,” Jeronzynk said, adding that he has spoken before the County Legislature six times since October 2011, asking members to improve the conditions at the facility. “If these draconian cuts continue and positive changes are not made at the Nassau County Correctional Center immediately, we are fearful that the tragic situations which lead to officers and inmates being injured or killed will also continue.”

In addition to the suicide last month, Antwan Brown, 26, of Long Beach, was killed on Jan. 7 after getting into a fight with another prisoner. Just five days later, Sposato, following Mangano’s orders, demoted 30 front-line supervisors to achieve necessary budget savings.

“The safety and security of this facility is the primary focus and paramount concert at all times,” Sposato said in a statement. “I am confident that every cost-saving change I have implemented, and any future cost-saving measure I must take, has not and will not impact the safety of the inmates remanded to this department or the staff that works at the facility.”