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A Rikers Island inmate who slashed himself with a razor and bled out — allegedly as correction officers looked on — was not handcuffed or thoroughly searched in an apparent lapse in protocol, according to a source in the embattled jail complex.

Michael Nieves, 40, sliced his throat at the jail Aug. 25, after hiding a razor he was given that morning. He died Aug. 30 and is among 14 in-custody deaths at the Department of Correction this year, the latest on Wednesday when a detainee hanged himself in a staff bathroom at the jail.

Nieves, who had been in custody since 2019 on charges of burglary, arson and reckless endangerment, had been previously taken off suicide watch despite two failed attempts to take his own life, the source said.

He was being held at Rikers’ Program to Accelerate Clinical Effectiveness unit, which has an increased level of care for the mentally ill.

When a correction officer asked Nieves to return the razor after a morning shower, he claimed he left it in the shower, according to the insider.

When the officer couldn’t find it, Nieves said the man who showered after him might have taken it, the source said.

A logbook viewed by The Post and filled out by a correction officer notes at 10:30 a.m. that Nieves “refuses to return a razor. … Area captain was notified.”

But the captain did not immediately come to the unit, the source said.

The captain did not make logbook entries until 11 a.m. in one book and 11:14 a.m. in another. And the captain did not immediately authorize Nieves to be handcuffed and taken for a body scan to see if he was hiding the razor, the source said.

Instead, she directed correction officers to search his cell and that of the other inmate. Nieves was also patted down.

Less than an hour later, Nieves was found dying.

At 11:45 a.m. a correction officer noted Nieves had blood “leaking” out and a medical emergency was activated. The logbook says EMS did not arrive until 12:30 p.m.

There was also a delay in getting the in-house medical unit to respond, according to the source.

The captain did not immediately return a call for comment.

Patrick Ferraiuolo, the president of the Correction Captains’ Association, said he did not know of a delay in the captain’s response and that she made the decision to search both cells first before taking the inmates for scans.

“It would have been better to remove them right away. I’m not going to deny that,” he said.

The death is under investigation and the Department of Correction would only say that three uniformed officers remained suspended.

If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts or are experiencing a mental health crisis and live in New York City, you can call 1-888-NYC-WELL for free and confidential crisis counseling. If you live outside the five boroughs, you can dial the 24/7 National Suicide Prevention hotline at 1-800-273-8255 or go to SuicidePreventionLifeline.org.