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LAS Files Second Lawsuit for Release of Prisoners at Riker's Island Amid COVID-19 Outbreak

The Legal Aid Society filed suit Tuesday on behalf of 32 more inmates vulnerable to the coronavirus currently held in Riker’s Island, as reported by the New York Law Journal. The new filing lands following a spike in COVID-19 cases at Rikers Island over the weekend.

Corey Stoughton, Attorney-in-Charge of the Special Litigation Unit of The Legal Aid Society’s Criminal Defense Practice, said Legal Aid lawyers are hearing from their clients in jail who are terrified of being infected with the virus in the unsanitary conditions of the jail.

“There have been shortages of basic cleaning supplies to disinfect housing areas in New York City jails, including housing areas where people with respiratory illnesses are confined,” she told the publication.