The Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General (OIG) recently released a report on FCI Sheridan, one of the federal Bureau of Prisons complexes in the United States. The report highlighted challenges and issues at Sheridan and across the BOP. OIG found that staffing shortages, particularly in terms of Correctional Officers and healthcare workers, have created operational challenges that impact the health, welfare, and safety of employees and inmates at Sheridan. This is a common issue across many BOP institutions.
The report noted that there were substantial staff shortages at FCI Sheridan, leading to challenges such as canceled outside medical appointments due to the lack of available employees to escort inmates. Additionally, there were serious shortages of employees facilitating the BOP’s Residential Drug Abuse Program (RDAP) at Sheridan. This led to the suspension of the program at the minimum-security prison camp. Other prisons have also faced issues with staff shortages, leading to lockdowns and limited program offerings for inmates.
OIG also found violations in medical care at FCI Sheridan, such as the improper packaging of medication and reusing medication bags, which can cause drug cross-contamination. The report highlighted a situation where an inmate feigned a suicide attempt to receive treatment for an untreated infection. Additionally, FCI Sheridan did not centrally track allegations of inmate-on-inmate sexual misconduct, which is required under the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA). These failures undermine the ability to accurately collect data on these incidents.
In response to the inspection findings, BOP Director Colette Peters suspended the RDAP program at FCI Sheridan’s minimum-security prison camp and took other actions to address the staffing shortages and other operational challenges identified in the report. The closure of the troubled women’s prison at FCI Dublin in California, where staff members were indicted on charges of raping female inmates, shows the seriousness of the issues facing BOP facilities.
Overall, the report on FCI Sheridan sheds light on the challenges and shortcomings facing federal Bureau of Prisons complexes across the country. It highlights the impact of staffing shortages on inmate care, program offerings, and safety, as well as the need for improved oversight and tracking of allegations of inmate-on-inmate sexual misconduct. The findings from this inspection will hopefully lead to improvements in the operation and management of BOP facilities to ensure the health, welfare, and safety of both employees and inmates.
