An inmate died in a New York prison as guards at institutions across the state continue their strike, which is now in its second week.

Jonathon Grant, 61, died over the weekend at one of the prisons where corrections officers walked off the job to strike. National Guard troops were deployed by Gov. Kathy Hochul to fill in during their absence in efforts to alleviate staffing issues.

Grant was pronounced dead Saturday after he was found unresponsive in his cell at the Auburn Correctional Facility. He was serving a 34-to-40-year sentence for rape and burglary.

It’s unclear if prison staffing played a role in Grant’s death. The manner in which he died will be determined by a medical examiner.

Correctional officers and their supporters demonstrate in sight of Coxsackie Correctional Facility in the Hudson Valley, Monday, Feb. 24, 2025, in Coxsackie, New York. (AP)

“The tension is building up. I’ve never seen it like this,” Waters said. “There’s no programming, no religious services, you can’t send mail or get visitors. We’re not used to being around each other for this many hours day in and day out.”

Waters, 37, said he expected the situation to worsen.

“They want the atmosphere to become violent to prove a point about staffing,” he said. “It’s like we’re caught in the crossfire between the union and their gripes with Albany and the administrators.”

Negotiations between state officials and the New York State Correctional Officers & Police Benevolent Association, the union representing the guards, began Monday. Prison workers are seeking better pay, better staffing, improved safety measures and authorization to again begin using solitary confinement as a disciplinary tool.

More than 100 corrections officers and supporters protested Monday near the Coxsackie Correctional Facility in the Hudson Valley. Some carried signs reading “NYS Failed Us” and “Wildcats.”

Retired corrections officer Ed Ventre said the strike was mostly about unsafe working conditions.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul deployed the National Guard to alleviate prison staffing issues across the state while guards are on strike. (Photo by Alex Kent/Getty Images)

“No one has ever seen the amount of violence and disregard for the safety of the officers, not to mention the fact that staffing is at an all-time low and officers are being mandated to work 24 hours straight with the threat of termination should they leave the prison,” Ventre said.

Assaults on prison system staff jumped from 1,043 in 2019 to 1,938 in the first 11 months of 2024, according to state officials. Meanwhile, assaults on inmates ballooned from 1,267 in 2019 to 2,697 for the first 11 months of 2024.

Last week, six guards were charged with murder in the December beating death of inmate Robert Brooks at the Marcy Correctional Facility.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.