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DOJ FINDS MEDICAL, SECURITY PROBLEMS AT FCI BERLIN
Hard to believe that Federal Bureau of Prisons inmates experience significant delays in routine and urgent medical care, but that’s the case at FCI Berlin, according to the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General.
In a report issued last week, the OIG found severe operational challenges at Berlin in New Hampshire. Despite operating at 52% of its stated inmate capacity, the facility suffers from critical staffing shortages among correctional officers and medical personnel. These shortages have caused significant delays in routine and urgent medical care for prisoners, including waits of nearly a year for specific consultations.
The Report, based on an unannounced January 2026 inspection, said other issues included security violations and deviations from BOP for tracking sexual misconduct complaints.
Vacancies are particularly acute among correctional staff and in Health and Psychology Services departments, the Report found. As a result, staff “struggle[] to address BOP inmate requests for routine medical care inside the institution” and to facilitate inmates in seeing medical providers outside of the prison.
Additionally, housing ICE detainees has placed further demands on the understaffed institution, while deteriorating infrastructure and broken security equipment remain unaddressed. Consequently, the OIG said, hundreds of prisoners face long waiting lists for rehabilitation programs and vocational training intended to reduce recidivism.
The findings are hardly surprising. Writing in Forbes, Walter Pavlo said the inspection “offers a familiar picture of the challenges facing the… BOP. Staffing shortages, delayed medical care, deteriorating infrastructure and limited access to rehabilitation programs continue to affect the agency responsible for incarcerating more than 150,000 people.”
In response to the Report, New Hampshire Sens Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan and Reps Chris Pappas and Maggie Goodlander wrote to BOP Director William K. Marshall III that “[]the challenges outlined in the report must be taken seriously, especially a lack of vigilance surrounding sexual misconduct complaints and medical care deficiencies… [W]e identified in the report, we remain alarmed about the ongoing safety issues at FCI Berlin, particularly given that staffing at the facility has only further dropped since this inspection was completed.”
Dept of Justice Office of Inspector General, Inspection of the Federal Bureau of Prisons Federal Correctional Institution at Berlin, New Hampshire (Report 26-002, October 16, 2026)
Union Leader, Federal watchdog finds staffing gaps, care delays at FCI Berlin prison (October 16, 2026)
Forbes, Another Prison Inspection Critical of Bureau of Prisons (October 16, 2026)
~ Thomas L. Root