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DOJ INSPECTOR GENERAL PUBLISHES FIRST REPORT ON SURPRISE INSPECTION OF BOP FACILITY

Another continuing story: Last week, I reported that the Department of Justice Inspector General said the BOP is falling down and the BOP was in institutional stasis.

The IG said that because of operational deficiencies at USP Atlanta and MCC New York (which has since been closed), its investigators set out to “assess how critical issues at BOP institutions are identified, communicated to BOP Executive Staff, and remediated.”

When the BOP Executive Staff told the IG that management “had been largely aware of the long-standing operational issues at USP Atlanta and MCC New York and expressed confidence in the BOP’s existing mechanisms to communicate information about operational issues.”

Almost as if to say, You want a for instance’?, the IG last week also released a report on its unannounced inspection of the low-security women’s prison at FCI Waseca. The report, resulting from a surprise inspection, uncovered “many significant issues,” according to KSTP-TV, and is “the first unannounced inspection under the DOJ Office of the Inspector General’s new inspections program, which is expected to include inspections at other federal prisons across the country in the coming months.”

The inspection, which occurred in late winter, was performed by a team of nine making physical observations, interviewing staff and inmates, reviewing security camera footage and collecting records. It found that Waseca was operating with only two-thirds of its normal staff complement, and that augmentation was taking a toll on services and operations. “We… identified staff shortages in both FCI Waseca’s health services and psychology services departments which have caused delays in physical and mental health care treatment. Such delays can potentially result in more serious health issues for inmates, create further demands on health care staff and increase the costs of future treatments,” Inspector General Michael Horowitz said.

The IG found

• Significant staffing shortages have cascading effects on institution operations.
• Substantial concerns with numerous blind spots, poor night vision, poor zoom quality, and an insufficient number of cameras.
• Significant challenge limiting the amount of contraband in the institution, specifically drugs.
• Institution management and staff frustration with the amount of time it takes to close a staff misconduct investigation.
• Long inmate program participation wait lists.

The report also documents ‘serious facility issues’ affecting the conditions for inmates, such as pipes leaking next to prisoners’ beds and roof damage leading to unsanitary food services situations.

The IG’s “unannounced inspection” program should give the BOP Central Office – which has long accepted (if not tacitly approved) BOP facility “inspections” which were nothing more than ‘dog and pony’ shows – some sleepless nights.

DOJ, Inspection of the Federal Bureau of Prisons’ Federal Correctional Institution Waseca (May 10, 2023)

Bringmethenews.com, DOJ: Surprise inspection of Waseca women’s prison finds ‘significant issues’ (May 12, 2023)

KSTP, Surprise inspection of Waseca prison uncovers ‘many significant issues,’ DOJ says (May 10, 2023)

– Thomas L. Root