Legal Aid Lawyers for Nicholas Feliciano say it's a horrifying situation. Locked up on Rikers Island, the 18-year-old attempted to commit suicide by hanging himself. There are allegations that correction officers stood by and watched.

"What we need to do is have a zero tolerance policy when it comes to correction officers endangering the lives of people who are in their care,” said Marie Ndiaye, the supervising attorney at Legal Aid Society. "They do not take that responsibility seriously."

By the time he was rushed to the hospital, Feliciano was unconscious.

The Correction Department says three officers and a captain have been suspended, pending an investigation and, if warranted, they could be disciplined or fired.

The head of the correction union vehemently defends the officers saying they responded appropriately.

"Every day we are saving inmates. Every day we are stopping someone from killing themselves, but the only reason you are here now is because someone said my correction officers stood for seven minutes and watched a guy hang himself and nothing could be further from the truth," said Elias Husamudeen, the president of the Correction Officers’ Benevolent Association (COBA).

Feliciano was on Rikers because of a parole violation. His lawyers say he does have a history of mental illness.

The correction union says a manager within the department should be fired for not placing the teen in the right housing unit.

"Not AMKC where we have mental health units, not in Bellevue. They took the 18-year-old that they determined was mentally ill and might hurt himself and they put him in a maximum security jail," said Husamudeen. “Our training is remain calm. Remain Calm."

He says correction officers can't rush into a jail cell because an inmate may be faking a suicide or illness in order to attack an officer.

Inmate advocates aren't buying that.

"Rikers Island has a notorious history of being negligent.  And this is just another example where we should close Rikers Island immediately," said Marvin Mayfield, an organizer from Just Leadership USA.

The Department of Investigation is also looking into the case.