The Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General (OIG) recently released a report on FCI Sheridan, a federal Bureau of Prisons complex in the United States. The report highlighted challenges that exist at Sheridan and across the BOP as a whole. The OIG found substantial shortages of Correctional Officers and healthcare workers at Sheridan, which are issues at many BOP institutions. These shortages have led to operational challenges that impact the health, welfare, and safety of both employees and inmates. The report also mentioned the recent closure of the women’s prison at FCI Dublin in California due to serious issues.
The OIG conducted unannounced visits at various BOP facilities, including Sheridan, to assess the situation. The report highlighted significant staff shortages at Sheridan, leading to the cancellation of 101 outside appointments between January and November 2023 due to the lack of available employees to escort inmates. Additionally, the facility faced shortages among employees facilitating the Residential Drug Abuse Program (RDAP), resulting in the suspension of the program at the minimum-security prison camp following the inspection. This lack of programs and activities affected inmates’ daily routines and access to necessary services.
Lockdowns have been a common problem across the BOP due to the shortage of corrections officers, leading to situations where management is unable to fill all inmate-monitoring posts and lacks the necessary staff to safely supervise inmates. This resulted in inmates being confined to their cells during daytime hours and being unable to participate in programs and recreational activities. The shortages also affected the availability of medical care at Sheridan, with violations such as medication errors, drug cross-contamination, and inadequate patient identification during dispensing.
One concerning instance highlighted in the report was an inmate at Sheridan feigning a suicide attempt to receive medical attention for an untreated infection. The inmate had an ingrown hair that had become infected and required hospitalization for five days to treat the infection. The report also noted that FCI Sheridan did not centrally track all allegations of inmate-on-inmate sexual misconduct reported to employees, which undermines the ability to collect data consistent with the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA). This lack of accurate tracking hinders efforts to address and prevent such incidents.
Overall, the OIG report on FCI Sheridan sheds light on the challenges and deficiencies present within the facility and the broader BOP system. The shortage of staff, particularly Correctional Officers and healthcare workers, has impacted the overall operational effectiveness and safety of the institution. The report’s findings underscore the need for improvements in staffing, programs, medical care, and reporting mechanisms to address the issues identified and ensure better conditions for both employees and inmates at BOP facilities like Sheridan.
