Text extracted via OCR from the original document. May contain errors from the scanning process.
DE P AR T MEN T O F J US TI C E | O FFIC E O F T HE INSP EC TO R GE NER AL \n \n \n \n \n \n \n“A Message from the Inspector General: Investigation and Review on the BOP’s Custody, Care, and \nSupervision of Jeffrey Epstein at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York, New York,” June \n2023 \n \nHello, I’m Michael Horowitz, Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Justice. \n \nToday my office released a report on the Federal Bureau of Prisons, or BOP’s, custody, care, and supervision \nof inmate Jeffrey Epstein at the MCC New York. On August 10, 2019, Epstein was found hanged in his locked \ncell within the prison’s secure Special Housing Unit. The New York City’s Office of the Chief Medical \nExaminer determined that Epstein died by suicide. \n \nToday’s report follows numerous other OIG reports, unrelated to Epstein, that have repeatedly identified \nlong-standing operational challenges at the BOP that negatively affect its ability to operate institutions safely \nand securely. Today’s report identified many of these same operational challenges, including significant job \nperformance and management failures on the part of BOP personnel; widespread disregard of BOP policies; \nand deficiencies with the BOP’s staffing levels; security camera systems; and custody and care of inmates at \nrisk for suicide. \n \nFor example, we determined that MCC New York staff failed to ensure Epstein was assigned a cellmate as \ninstructed by MCC New York’s Psychology Department following an incident on July 23rd where Epstein was \nfound unresponsive in his cell with a cloth wrapped around his neck. In addition, we concluded that MCC \nNew York staff failed to undertake required measures designed to ensure Epstein and other inmates were \naccounted for and safe in their cells, such as inmate counts and rounds, and searches of cells. Had Epstein's \ncell been searched as required, it would have revealed that Epstein had excess prison blankets, linens, and \nclothing in his cell. MCC New York staff also failed to ensure that the institution’s security camera system \nwas fully functional, resulting in limited recorded video evidence. \n \nWhile we determined MCC New York staff engaged in significant misconduct, we did not uncover evidence \ncontradicting the FBI’s determination that there was no criminality in connection with how Epstein died. \n \nThe combination of negligence, misconduct, and outright job performance failures documented in today’s \nreport all contributed to an environment in which arguably one of the most notorious inmates in BOP’s \ncustody was left unmonitored and alone in his cell with an excess of prison linens, thereby providing him \nwith the opportunity to take his own life. The BOP’s failures are troubling not only because the BOP did not \nadequately safeguard an individual in its custody, but also because they led to questions about the \ncircumstances surrounding Epstein’s death and effectively deprived Epstein’s numerous victims of the \nopportunity to seek justice through the criminal justice system. \n \nThe fact that these chronic problems and failures have been recurring ones does not excuse them, and \ngives additional urgency to the need for DOJ and BOP leadership to address them. \n \n\n \n \n2 \nTo read our report and our 8 recommendations, please visit our website oig.justice.gov, or go to \noversight.gov. \n \nThank you for joining me today. \n \n(Stock media provided by composer William Pearson and publisher Prolific Two Publishing/Pond5.com, \nwww.pond5.com.)