3 Department of Correction staff members suspended after 13th Rikers Island inmate death
NEW YORK -- The Department of Correction says it has suspended three staff members after the death of another Rikers Island inmate.
Officials say 40-year-old Michael Nieves died Tuesday night at Elmhurst Hospital.
He is the 13th inmate to die in custody this year.
The cause of death is under investigation.
The New York Times reports a captain and two correction officers were suspended for failing to help Nieves after he hurt himself in a suicide attempt.
Meanwhile, CBS2 has confirmed the City Council introduced legislation earlier this week to ban solitary confinement in city jails. The practice has come under increased scrutiny amid efforts to reform Rikers Island.
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