BEACON – A group calling itself Beacon Prison Action has taken photos of graves on the grounds of Fishkill Correctional Facility claiming they are for the burial of state prison inmates who have died from COVID-19.
A statement from the state prison system said only one individual died at Fishkill Correctional since March 1 and his death was not COVID-19 related.
The photos, taken last Wednesday, show what they said was the digging of multiple graves in the cemetery used by Fishkill Correctional. They said four gravestones are without identifying markers, “leaving these recent casualties unnamed. A new grave, between two more markers, has yet to be filled.”
Prison system officials said Fishkill Correctional has had no deaths related to COVID-19 and since March 1 one incarcerated person died while being cared for in long-term care and not COVID-19 related.
The officials said in cases where an incarcerated individual dies, either at Fishkill or another state prison, and his or her family is unable to or does not claim the body, the person is laid to rest at the cemetery on the grounds of Fishkill Correctional or a facility in close proximity that has a cemetery.
