Wyatt employees disciplined following inmate’s death

CENTRAL FALLS, R.I. - Seven workers at the Donald W. Wyatt Detention Facility in Central Falls have been punished in connection with the death of an inmate, the prison announced.

The Central Falls Detention Facility Corp., which operates the prison, said in a statement Wednesday that seven staff members are being disciplined for “specific failures to comply with facility policies and procedures” during Hiu Lui Ng’s 25-day detention.

The punishments, ranging from reprimand to termination, come at the end of an internal investigation following Ng’s death.

Ng, who was being held for allegedly overstaying his visa, died in August of liver cancer complications. His lawyers and family claimed Ng was denied access to medical care and dragged from his cell when he should have had a wheelchair.

But the prison said that though its workers violated policies, their actions did not contribute to Ng’s death. It reiterated the claim that Ng received “appropriate and timely” medical attention, both in-house and through outside hospitals, in diagnosing Ng’s late-stage cancer.

The disciplined workers were not identified.

Wyatt spokesman Dante Bellini was not immediately available for comment Thursday. In the statement, he declined to provide further details, citing an ongoing investigation by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, which pulled all of its 153 immigration detainees out of the facility one month ago.

Steve Brown, executive director of the Rhode Island chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, which is representing Ng’s family, said Wyatt’s action “suggests to us a complete lapse in oversight and monitoring of activities at the facility.“

“It confirms that Mr. Ng was mistreated,“ Brown said. “But it doesn’t resolve the problems by any means.“

The ACLU is asking in court for access to witnesses and documents that could provide details of Ng’s care.