A partial power outage has left a Brooklyn prison without heat or light for days

A partial power outage at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York, has left inmates without lights or heat since Thursday, and authorities say the problem will not be fixed before Monday. Temperatures in the prison are as low as 49 degrees as outside temperatures dip below freezing.

"The reported conditions at the Metropolitan Detention Center are appalling," said New York Attorney General Letitia A. James. "Prisoners and detainees have rights, and those rights must be enforced."

Federal Defenders of New York Director David Patton reported all cells have been locked down for three days, and "[w]hen the sun goes down it's pitch dark. Inmates who have medical conditions can't read the instructions on the medications."

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Protesters including inmates' relatives assembled outside the facility to denounce the situation Saturday, carrying signs with slogans like "shut it down," "united in outrage," and "turn up the heat." Rep. Nydia Velázquez (D-N.Y.), who visited the prison, which is in her district, described it as a "nightmare ... like living in a closet without lights."