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A New York federal prison inmates went on a hunger strike after visitation times were canceled due to staff shortages caused by the partial government shutdown.

Inmates at Manhattan’s Metropolitan Correctional Center (MCC) protested the decision by refusing to eat their breakfast and lunch on Monday according to The New York Times. The facility has about 1,600 inmates.

According to the report, the number of protesters is unknown. However, public defender Sarah Baumgartel told The Times all of them reside in the same unit. Cancellation of visitation means inmates are unable to see their family members or legal counsel.

David Patton Executive Director of the Federal Defenders of New York said the Brooklyn facility’s visitation stopped on January 4, and the MCC visits weren’t allowed for three days over the past few weeks.

“Attorney visitation has been sporadic and often shut down or canceled which means that attorneys can’t meet with their clients,” Patton told The Gothamist.

The partial shutdown may also affect inmates medical care according to one prosecutor who told a judge counsels were “informed — we don’t have any reason to dispute this — that because of the shutdown, there are issues with prescribing medication.”

An anonymous MCC spokesperson pushed back against the Times’ reporting and told The Gothamist the shutdown isn’t responsible for the shortages.

The unidentified spokesperson downplayed the protest and claimed inmates ate their dinner when staff told them broken elevators were responsible for the canceled visits. They added the elevators are being fixed and claimed the length of cancellations and lack of medical care are false.

Manhattan federal court representative Edward Friedland said his office would be meeting with the wardens of the prisons regarding the problems.

“The court is obviously concerned with the impact that the shutdown is having on defense counsels’ ability to see their clients,” Friedland said.

Patton provided an email from an MCC attorney announcing the cancellation of visitation some to support his claims.

“Due to staff shortages secondary to the shutdown, legal visiting at MDC Brooklyn is currently suspended today, January 14, 2018,” it read. “We regret the inconvenience and will notify you immediately once visiting resumes.”

Patton believes the prison system is failing to do the bare minimum.

“We’re not talking about fancy luxury items here,” he told The Times. “We’re talking about being able to converse with your attorney when you haven’t yet been convicted of a crime. We’re talking about being able to see your children or your spouse or your parents. This is the absolute lowest baseline we should expect of a government when it detains people and assumes responsibility for their well-being.”

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