A damning report from the Department of Justice Inspector General finds that "recurring policy violations and operational failures contributed to inmate suicides" in federal prisons.
The report looked at the years from 2014 through 2021 and found that of the 344 deaths reviewed just over half were death by suicide.
The report was triggered, in part, by the "high-profile deaths at BOP institutions, such as the homicide of James ‘Whitey’ Bulger in 2018 and the suicide of Jeffrey Epstein in 2019."
The 344 deaths identified fell into one of four categories: 1) suicide, 2) homicide, 3) accident, and 4) unknown factors. The report found "a combination of recurring policy violations and operational failures [within BOP] contributed to inmate suicides."
More than half of the inmates who died by suicide were single-celled, or housed in a cell alone, which increases inmate suicide risk.
The report also found that BOP’s staff response to emergencies, "was often insufficient due to lack of clear communication, urgency, or proper equipment."
Many of the deaths are attributable to drugs and IG Michael Horowitz’ report points out that in many instances cell searches are failing. The IG highlights one instance of an inmate suicide by drug overdose, "a property search of the cell following the inmate’s death revealed that the inmate had amassed over 1,000 pills."
The report also reveals that inmates are receiving illicit drugs through a variety of manners, including drones, which the BOP is still trying to combat by implementing "counter drone initiatives."
Federal Bureau of Prisons Director Colette Peters released a lengthy response calling any unexpected death, "tragic," while adding, "we have already taken may steps to mitigate these deaths and we welcome the OIG’s recommendations as a way to further our efforts." Peters is the 8th Director of BOP in just over 10 years, which may be another challenge for the agency.
The report acknowledges that BOP faces "many challenges," but also highlights "several areas in which BOP’s actions have not been sufficient."
This is a developing story and will be updated.
