Lubbock Police Misconduct Lawyer – Treatment of Prisoners in Lewisburg PA is Criticized in a Federal Report
A July 2017 report released from the Office of the Inspector General in the U.S. Department of Justice includes a review of the use of restrictive housing for inmates with mental illness by the Federal Bureau of Prisons. With harsh criticisms, the report singles out treatment of inmates with mental illness at the Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, prison in particular and the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) in general.
The report claims that the BOP keeps inmates who have mental illness in solitary confinement with inadequate treatment and for too long a period of time, in violation of its own policies.
The Lewisburg prison was built in 1932, and the cells are much smaller than the 80-square-foot minimum that is recommended by the American Correctional Association (ACA) for solitary confinement. The solitary confinement cells are only 58.5 square feet in Lewisburg, and prisoners are often placed there two at a time. Reporting indicates that keeping two prisoners in one small cell for up to 23 or 24 hours per day results in frequent assaults between the cellmates, leading to serious injury and sometimes death.
A nonprofit news organization that focuses on criminal justice, NPR/The Marshall Project, outlined results of an investigation they conducted last year. The report just released confirms that Lewisburg prisoners stay for years, periods of time that are much longer than BOP’s limits, as was first reported on by NPR.
Another of the laundry list of concerns regarding Lewisburg is that it is cooled with ceiling fans and is one of few facilities in the federal system that still lack air conditioning.
In response to the report, which raises numerous concerns, the acting director of the BOP has announced that the inspector general’s recommendations would be adopted and that a comprehensive review of practices at the Lewisburg prison is called for.
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