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How to Avoid a Jeffrey Epstein Incident in your Jail
What happened with Jeffrey Epstein?
On August 10, 2019, in one of the most notorious cases of recent years, financier Jeffrey Epstein was found hanged in a New York jail cell. The Metropolitan Correctional Center, where the suicide occurred, is a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility in lower Manhattan.
The incident caused an uproar in the press and in the Federal Government. Then-President Trump and Attorney General William Barr made statements. A Federal investigation was undertaken by the Justice Department's Inspector General.
Hand-wringing statements by Federal officials and expressions of concern filled the news in the weeks and months that followed. The Attorney General promised the press and the public, "We will get to the bottom of what happened."
Failure to Complete Checks Led to Incident
Of course, what happened is simple, and all too familiar in correctional facilities nationwide. Two officers, responsible for monitoring the well-being of Epstein and other prisoners, have admitted to falling asleep and surfing the Internet, rather than performing their duties. They failed to make required suicide watch checks. And – in another common part of the pattern – they falsified records claiming their checks were made.
Both officers were fired, and have settled Federal charges with a recent plea agreement.
After the inquiry, Attorney General Barr told the press that the incident was the result of "a perfect storm of screw-ups". But simply insuring that correctional officers were performing their suicide watch checks would have mitigated any other failures at the Metropolitan Correctional Center.
Fallout from the Epstein Incident
In the Epstein case, the facility's Warden was also fired. It's a reminder that if you are in a position of responsibility in your facility, you must be sure that suicide watches and other well-being checks are being performed, properly and on time.
An incident in your jail may not be as notorious. Other lapses in supervision or officer job performance may not have as serious an impact. But a suicide in your jail will result in publicity, litigation, liability, and notoriety.
How to Prevent Inmate Suicides
Prevent suicides in your jail with a cell check system. Guard1 has helped over 1300 correctional facilities, and our team can help you, too.