Federal prisons accelerate inmate releases, stockpile supplies to fight virus

Nearly 500 federal inmates and more than 275 Bureau of Prison staff have contracted the coronavirus, and officials say they are constantly adapting to slow the outbreak with measures ranging from the release of non-violent offenders to stockpiling medical supplies.

Inmates have mostly been confined to their cells though they still “have the ability to observe faith traditions, although they may be modified to allow for social distancing or other health precautions,” BOP spokesman Justin Long told Just the News.

“All cleaning, sanitation, and medical supplies have been inventoried at the BOP's facilities, and currently an ample supply is on hand and ready to be distributed or moved to any facility as deemed necessary,” Long said. “The BOP is also procuring additional supplies, in case this event is protracted.”

Late last month, Attorney General William P. Barr ordered the BOP to expand the group of federal inmates eligible for early release because coronavirus cases had grown precipitously and the virus could easily overwhelm prison medical facilities and nearby hospitals. “We are experiencing significant levels of infection at several of our facilities,” Barr wrote.

In a memo to BOP Director Michael Carvajal, Barr wrote that he was advocating for the release of prisoners to home confinement as an appropriate response because “emergency conditions” were burdening the bureau’s ability to function.

The Bureau started reviewing the cases for home confinement starting with their facilities at Oakdale, Elkin and Danbury and by early April almost 2,000 federal inmates have qualified, including Michael Cohen, President Trump’s former legal counsel.

In an April 10, video, Carvajal confirmed that Oakdale, Elkin, Danbury, Lompoco, Yazoo City, Butner, Forrest City and Milan had been significantly hit with coronavirus cases. Overall, 43 BOP facilities and 13 pre-release facilities have been affected.

According to the BOP website, more than 143,000 federal prison inmates are confined within BOP-operated facilities, while almost 18,000 are confined in privately operated facilities and another nearly 11,000 are confined in either state or county jail facilities. According to the Bureau’s updated website, there are 473 federal inmates and 279 Bureau of Prison staff who have confirmed positive test results for COVID-19 nationwide. Of those, 64 inmates and 23 staff have recovered.

There have been 18 federal inmate deaths to date.

At the medium security prison in Lompoc, Calif., where 1,504 male inmates are confined, 69 inmates and 22 staff have tested positive for COVID-19.

In the medium security Federal Correctional Institution at Butner, N.C., where 921 male inmates are confined, 48 inmates and 28 staff members have tested positive and four inmates have died. Among the 1,263 inmates at Butner’s low security facility, 14 inmates have tested positive and at their nearby Federal Medical Center which houses 924 male inmates, one inmate and one staff member have tested positive.

At the Yazoo City, Miss., low-security and high-security facilities that house 2,272 inmates, 50 inmates and 4 staffers are infected.

The Federal Correctional Institution Elkton in Lisbon. Ohio. which houses 2,421 inmates, has been hit hard with 39 inmates and 34 staff members infected. Five have died as a result of COVID-19.

At the low-security and medium-security Oakdale, La, facilities, which house 1,860 inmates, 32 inmates and 22 staff have tested positive.

In the Danbury, Conn., facility, 27 inmates and 43 staff are infected and at the Milan facility in Michigan where 1,430 inmates serve time, 25 inmates and 28 staff are infected.

In BOP’s Atlanta facility where there are over 2,000 prisoners, 13 inmates and three staff members have been infected, while at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Chicago, only one inmate was infected but 8 staff fell ill.

The Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York City, where Jeffrey Epstein committed suicide and Michael Avenatti was serving time until he was recently released because of COVID-19, five inmates and 19 staff are infected.

And at the Federal Correctional Institution in Ray Brook, N.Y., three inmates and eight staff were infected while the Brooklyn Metropolitan Detention Center has 4 inmates and 18 staff who are infected.