Lawmakers call for feds to step in at Nassau jail

Some lawmakers want the contract terminated for Nassau County jail's private medical provider, and they want federal officials to be involved. Members of the Democratic Caucus in the Nassau Legislature

News 12 Staff

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Mar 12, 2016, 3:14 AM

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Updated 3,231 days ago

Some lawmakers want the contract terminated for Nassau County jail's private medical provider, and they want federal officials to be involved.

Members of the Democratic Caucus in the Nassau Legislature are calling for the U.S. attorney and the Department of Justice to oversee a termination of Armor Correctional Health Services.

Armor has faced scrutiny since a report found that it provided inadequate care in connection with the deaths of four inmates since 2011.

"Regardless of what they have done or regardless of what they are accused of doing, they deserve a greater level of care," says Legislator Kevan Abrahams (D-1st District).

In response, Armor says during its years working with the Nassau County Sheriff's Department, it has served many patients and there are some cases in which deaths aren't preventable.

The sheriff's department says the county will soon issue a "request for proposal" for inmate health care at the correctional center.