Negligence and misconduct by US Bureau of Prisons personnel led to the death of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in their custody, the US Justice Department Office of the Inspector General (OIG) said on Tuesday
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 27th June, 2023) Negligence and misconduct by US Bureau of Prisons personnel led to the death of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in their custody, the US Justice Department Office of the Inspector General (OIG) said on Tuesday.
"The combination of negligence, misconduct and outright job performance failures documented in this report all contributed to an environment in which arguably one of the BOP's most notorious inmates was provided with the opportunity to take his own life, resulting in significant questions being asked about the circumstances of his death," the OIG said in a review of its investigation into Epstein's death in Federal custody.
On August 10, 2019, Epstein was found hanged in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center (MCC) in New York. The New York City Office of the Chief Medical Examiner determined that Epstein died by suicide.
The OIG report covers the MCC New York's custody, care and supervision of Epstein while he was detained at the facility from his arrest on sex trafficking charges on July 6, 2019 to his death on August 10.
Screenings by MCC New York staff determined Epstein did not meet the criteria for a psychological diagnosis, as he denied having thoughts of suicide and had no history of attempts, the report said.
However, Epstein's cellmate told officers on July 23 that Epstein tried to hang himself and staff found him with an orange cloth around his neck, the report said.
MCC New York personnel then placed Epstein on suicide watch but removed him on July 24 to place him under psychological observation until July 30, the report said.
Epstein was housed with a new cellmate until August 9, when the cellmate was transferred to another facility. No actions were taken to ensure Epstein was assigned a new cellmate but he was allowed to make an unmonitored telephone call in violation of BOP policy, the report said.
Epstein's body was discovered on the morning of August 10. The OIG probe found that MCC New York personnel did not conduct any 30-minute rounds late the night of August 9, nor did they conduct required inmate counts after 4:00 p.m. that day, the report said.
BOP records did not indicate when personnel last searched Epstein's cell, the report also said.
The OIG probe did not uncover evidence contradicting the FBI's determination regarding the absence of criminality in connection with Epstein's death, the report added.
The report included eight recommendations to BOP to address issues identified during the probe, including evaluating methods of accounting for inmate whereabouts and well-being, clarifying what is required of MCC New York personnel when conducting rounds, and enhancing policies regarding institutional security camera systems to provide for regular functionality checks.
