Plans to Abruptly Close Several Facilities Due to Budget Restraints Revealed
As we have previously covered, the Federal Bureau of Prisons (“BOP”) has been grappling with several issues that have hampered the BOP and its ability to provide necessary support for inmates, with a key factor being budget constraints in many instances. Last week, the BOP informed Congress and their employees that it would permanently close seven facilities, FCI Dublin in California (a woman’s prison) and six minimum security prison and satellite camps which typically house inmates with the lowest risks of violence and/or escape. “As the agency navigates a challenging budgetary and staffing environment, we must make incredibly difficult decisions” the agency said in a statement while assuring that it would do what it could to retain employees by moving them to other positions. Through these actions, it is clear that Bureau of Prisons Director Colette Peters is pivoting to closures and consolidation, rather than repairing many of the aging infrastructure. For example, the prison camp in Duluth, Minnesota which is set to close under the announced plan was plagued by “aging and dilapidated infrastructure” with several of the buildings being condemned due to asbestos and lead paint. Likewise FCI Englewood in Colorado, also set to close, needing a reported $26 million estimate for necessary repairs. In the case of FCI Dublin, the closure comes after it was revealed that there was widespread abuse in the woman’s facility, earning it the nickname “rape club” in the process. While the BOP is building a new medium-security prison in Kentucky, this does leave questions as to where inmates will be relocated and if there will be enough space for those who receive low risk designations. With some already sounding the alarm about the availability of such programs that allow early release, the shutting down of multiple camps could leave some inmates vulnerable to abuse or inadequate care in higher safety designation facilities. It would not be surprising to see an increase in the number of inmates who seek “Compassionate Release” under the First Step Act in the face of these closures. Anyone who either finds themselves affected by these closures or has a loved one that is being displaced and transferred by the sudden closures should reach out to an attorney who represents federal inmates seeking compassionate release.