To:
Jackson, Ryan[jackson.ryan@epa.gov]
From: The Washington Post
Sent: Fri 7/14/2017 4:00:24 PM
Subject: [SPAM] Federal Insider: Staff shortages, solitary confinement increase risks for federal
prisoners and public
Staff shortages, solitary confinement increase risks for federal prisoners and public
By Joe Davidson
Michael Horowitz, Justice Department inspector general, in 2014. (Bill O'Leary/The Washington Post)
Once again, Uncle Sam has demonstrated that skimping on his workforce is a good way to cheat his consumers.
in this case, the unwilling consumers are a group who generate little sympathy and exercise even less power -- prisoners.
A new report from the Justice Department's internal watchdog shows how understaffed mental health services for particularly vulnerable inmates, coupled with discredited solitary confinement conditions, can ricochet on the law-abiding.
"First, although the BOP (Bureau of Prisons) has stated that it does not
practice solitary confinement," sa
:tor General Michael Horowitz, "we
found inmates, including those with mental illness, who were housed in
single-cell confinement for long periods of time, isolated from other inmates,
with limited human contact."
Abo n 'A, inmates were in some form of restricted BOP housing in June
2016, according to the report. They were confined to their cells almost 24/7,
sometimes for years. For the purposes of its analysis, the IG's office
considered "solitary confinement to be
nate alone in a cell for 22 hours
or more per day with limited human contact."
At the federal supermax prison in Florence, Colo., the investigators "learned of an inmate with serious mental illness who spent about 19 years" in restrictive housing.
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That kind of punishment can backfire.
"Research shows that `time spent in solitary confinement contributes to elevated rates of recidivism' and that many inmates released into the community from RHUs (restricted housing units) `come out of these units damaged and functionally disabled,' which can b* public safety concern," the report added.
The psychological damage can lead to "anger, aggression, and rage." That fuels increased recidivism, which means more crime because the correctional system didn't adequately do its job.
The job isn't getting done in part because "mental health staffing does not support the treatment needs of inmates with mental illness," the report said.
Many facilities fall far short of BOP's standard of one psychologist for every 500 inmates. One 1,200-prisoner institution had one psychologist. A medical center "housing some of the BOP's most seriously mentally ill inmates had filled only 12 of r ,0 TH-time mental health staff positions as of December 2
We asked BOP a series of questions about its policies and requested
DOJ watchdog report criticizes solitary cc rim merit The IG's office said it was "also concerned about th- to rt' , challenges in recruiting and retaining Psychiatrists. ... As of October 2015, the BOP had
filled oniv 28 of 49 (5/ percent) of its authorized fulltime Psychiatrist
The report says the Bureau of Prisons' policies "do not adequately______________
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positions nationwide."
Eric Young, president of the American Federation of Government
reasonable folks
call sol
;ment "Without restrictive housing, we would have
anarchy inside our nation's prisons," he said. "Our staff deal with angry,
aggressive and violent inmates every day; inmates act out for lots for various
reasons and when they do so it is vital to remove them out general
population to maintain security and good order in our facilities. So long as we
are given the appropriate staff resources we can handle it. If legislators want
us to do more they have to commit r
ding to us for that purpose."
Reports of BOP staffing shortages are not limited to psychologists and
psychiatrists. A Marct
)und that "recruitment and retention of
medical professionals is a serious challenge for the BOP, in large part
because the BOP competes with private employers that offer higher pay and
benefits." An April 2015 IG report said low staffing contributed to a 2009 riot
at the Reeves County Detention Center, a Texas facility that operate ` on Jer
a BOP contract.
Your daily guide to the energy and
While BOP officials have taken "a number of stepsTo addre
mtal health
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"Mental Health staff do not always document inmates' mental disorders." BOP is "unable to accurately determine the number of inmates with IllllmentaliOhesIlO
BOP is unable to "ensure that it is providing appropriate care" to inmates with mental illness.
The agency agreed with all 15 IG recommendations. They included determining the needed steps "to prioritize and incentivize the hiring of mental health staff," tracking "all inmates in single-cell confinement" and (rm< tomm `'ike cvmutot'vA a mourn of time mmtoes mto meatal dine-m cm-vm in restrictive housing."
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tesMtconcluded, "that significant additional steps are
required to screen, treat, and monitor inmates with mental illness in these
restrictive environmer
jpecially those in single-cell confinement."
Read more:
[Private federal prisons -- less safe, less secure]
[Report: Halfw>ttouse issues mean high-risk offenders could be rele
[Will states follow DOJ's private prison move? Some are ahead of the feds.]
for the mentally ill in federal prisons
forms of restrictive housing. By Joe Davidson | Columnist Read more
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