Criminals at New York's Woodbourne Correctional Facility will see Monday's solar eclipse, lawyers for the convicts who sued announced Thursday.
Six convicts at Woodbourne's medium-security men's prison in upstate New York sued the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision for denying them eclipse viewing.
The detainees claimed that denying them the total eclipse would violate their religious liberties because they consider it as a religious event. The detainees claimed that denying them the total eclipse would violate their religious liberties because they consider it as a religious event.
We are thrilled that, in response to our complaint alleging religious discrimination, New York State has entered into a binding settlement agreement that will allow our six clients to enjoy the solar eclipse according to their religious views, they stated.
The accord ended the late-week lawsuit. Eclipse glasses were also requested in the complaint. The lawsuit claims that the department's acting commissioner, Daniel Martuscello III, sent a memo to all facilities on March 11 stating that they would operate on a holiday schedule on eclipse day, with inmates staying in their cells from 2 to 5 p.m.
In preparation for the lawsuit, the prison staff reviewed religious requests to observe the eclipse, including from six Woodbourne inmates.
"We continued our analysis and review during the lawsuit," the department added. "The Department has agreed to permit the six individuals to view the eclipse." A call to prayer in Islam, the crucifixion of Jesus Christ in Christianity, and an eclipse when Muhammad's son died were referenced in the complaint.
The first US solar eclipse since Aug. 21, 2017, will occur on Monday. The U.S. won't see another solar eclipse until 2044. NASA's “eclipse explorer” website says Woodbourne is out of the total eclipse path, although the moon will shade the sun about 3:25 p.m.
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