Department of Justice (DOJ) Inspector General Michael E. Horowitz announced today the release of a Management Advisory Memorandum to the Director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) identifying concerns with security at the BOP’s minimum-security prison camp locations.
The DOJ Office of the Inspector General (OIG) identified these concerns in connection with multiple investigations involving prison escapes, including an investigation at the Federal Correctional Complex (FCC), Satellite Prison Camp, Beaumont, Texas, where the escape of 4 inmates went undetected for more than 12 hours despite 3 overnight inmate counts during that period of time. The OIG identified security weaknesses at prison camp locations, including unsecured outer building doors, even during times when inmates were not permitted to move freely; door locks and sensors that were susceptible to tampering, thus leading to alarms failing to function when locked doors were opened without authorization; and limited video surveillance.
The DOJ OIG made three recommendations to the BOP to address the concerns we identified. The BOP agreed with the recommendations and informed the OIG that FCC Beaumont had begun taking proactive measures shortly after the incident to address these concerns.