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MDC BROOKLYN’S PROBLEMS EXISTED LONG BEFORE LAST JANUARY

Last January’s power outage at MDC Brooklyn did not cause the heating problem that left inmates freezing in their cells, according to a report issued last week by the Dept. of Justice Inspector General. Instead, heat issues at the MDC had been a continuing problem well before the January 2019 fire that caused a partial power outage.

Prison officials had known that the heating problem was a longstanding issue that had never been fixed. The heat problems were due to a lack of equipment to monitor temperatures in the jail, which reached as low as 59 degrees a week before the power outage and often went above 80 degrees even in the winter months, the report found.

The investigation also found that prison officials mishandled the power outage.

As half a dozen judges and advocates suspected in the days after the outage, inmates were left trapped inside without access to their lawyers or information about why they couldn’t visit with family members, the report found. “This is particularly problematic in view of the facility’s population of pre-trial detainees, some of whom may have required daily access to counsel to prepare for trial,” Inspector General Michael Horowitz said. Prison officials also didn’t communicate with the legal counsel, relatives and the public and mismanaged two medical issues that happened during the outage, the report said.

The IG’s report was immediately criticized by some commentators. The MDC warden at the time, Herman Quay, was accused of lying about conditions during the outage to the public, to the media and even to the U.S. Attorney. He has since been promoted and a new warden was installed at MDC.

The Intercept complained that the report “relies heavily on the accounts of the very officials who presided over the crisis, draws minimally from the experiences of the people who endured it, and seems more preoccupied with the episode as a public relations blunder than as a humanitarian disaster. The report does not address the chronic deception in jail officials’ statements during and after the crisis.”

“This report confirms that there have been longstanding management problems at MDC that must be rectified,” said Rep. Nydia Velázquez (D-Brooklyn).

In a response to the investigation, Politico reported, the BOP said it will complete an upgrade to its heating, cooling, and ventilation equipment. It also agreed to begin giving inmates sweat suits and thermal underwear as part of their standard-issue clothing package until all the heating problems are resolved.

DOJ Office of Inspector General, Review and Inspection of Metropolitan Detention Center Brooklyn Facilities Issues and Related Impacts on Inmates (Sept. 26)

Politico, Investigation finds widespread infrastructure, leadership failures at Brooklyn federal jail (Sept. 26)

The Intercept, Inspector General Report Treated Freezing Federal Jail As A PR Blunder Rather Than A Humanitarian Disaster (Sept. 28)

– Thomas L. Root