NEW YORK — David Patton, the executive director and attorney-in-chief of the Federal Defenders of New York, joined NY1 political anchor Errol Louis on "Inside City Hall" on Tuesday evening to discuss reports about inmates at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn facing deteriorating living conditions.
Over the weekend, inmates said they had no access to water, had spotty electricity and lacked hot food. The Brooklyn detention center has also faced staff shortages as correctional facility officers have reported overwhelming and dangerous conditions.
Patton called for an outside regulatory authority to hold jail facilities accountable for the conditions.
“These are public officials, the wardens of these institutions, and they won't come on and talk about the conditions of these public intuitions,” Patton told NY1. “The real problem is that there's no sort of outside accountability.”
NY1 reached out to the Bureau of Prisons for comment on the conditions but did not receive a response.
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Watch the full interview above.
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