Local advocacy group DC Justice Lab has launched a telephone hotline for reporting conditions at the Jail. Their stated purpose for the hotline is “to give people currently experiencing those conditions an opportunity to share their stories and correct the narratives circling locally and nationally about what it is like to be confined in either of …
DC Dept of Corrections
This contains posts related to DC DOC and all of its related entities.
ARTICLE: D.C.’s Prison Oversight Efforts Have Become a ‘Total Sham.’
The Washington City Paper recently published an article regarding oversight of D.C. residents housed in the federal Bureau of Prison’s system. The article, titled D.C.’s Prison Oversight Efforts Have Become a ‘Total Sham’, spotlights the D.C. Corrections Information Council. CIC was created in 1997 as an oversight body at the time D.C. agreed to send …
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DC Advocacy group, More Than Our Crimes, featured in DCIST article
More Than Our Crimes, a group who advocates for individuals convicted of violent crimes who deserve a second chance, has been featured in an article published by the DCIST. The article, titled Meet The Duo Running A Publication By And For D.C.’s Prison Population, features More Than Our Crimes founders Pam Bailey and Robert Barton.
House Committee Passes Bill Requiring Federal Bureau of Prisons to Provide Information to D.C. on Returning Citizens
A bill introduced by Rep. Elenor Holmes-Norton (D-DC) was passed by the House Committee on Oversight and Reform. The bill, if passed into law, would require the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) to provide information to the District of Columbia on individuals convicted of felonies under D.C. law in BOP custody. BOP houses individuals convicted of …
Incarcerated D.C. resident publishes article in Politico on the failure of prison lockdowns
Robert Barton is a D.C. resident serving a sentence of 30 years to life, currently at the U.S. penitentiary in Coleman, Florida, which is in lockdown. He submitted an op-ed to Politico by regular mail via More Than Our Crimes, (an organization he co-founded) and they published it. His article explains the damage done to incarcerated …
DC Public Defender Service Files Lawsuit Against BOP Alleging Unequal Treatment
DCIST.com has reported that the Public Defender Service for D.C. has filed a class action lawsuit against the Federal Bureau of Prisons, arguing that people from D.C. are treated unfairly in federal prisons. The lawsuit alleges that the system used to calculate security designations for people charged with crimes in D.C. “systematically” leads to higher …
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Time Magazine Weighs in on DC Dept. of Corrections Issues
The ongoing problems with the DC Department of Corrections has attracted high-level national media attention. Time magazine this week published an article titled The Crisis at the D.C. Jail Began Decades Before Jan. 6 Defendants Started Raising Concerns. The article chronicles what it calls “decades of sounded alarms” leading up to the current controversy surrounding …
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DC Dept. of Corrections: Director Booth out, New Director Faust in
As reported in the DCist and elsewhere, District Mayor Muriel Bowser has named former Dept. of Corrections Director Tom Faust (2011 to2016) to take over running the department. He replaces Quincy Booth and who will now serve “in an advisory role.” It is unclear exactly what Booth’s role will be. Faust previously served as Arlington …
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A Solution for Replacing the DC Jail?
Shelley Broderick, chair of the District Task Force on Jails & Justice (more), published an opinion piece in the Washington Post, titled Opinion: We have a plan to close the D.C. jail. It’s time to act, in response to the recent developments regarding conditions at the DC Jail. Citing the Task Force’s recommendations regarding the …
DC Attorney General Opinion Piece on DC Jail Conditions
DC Attorney General Karl Racine voiced his opinion’s regarding the conditions in the Jail in a piece recently published in the Washington Post. He writes: “Recent reports of squalid conditions in D.C. jail are unfortunately not new. But they should finally serve as a clarion call to D.C. leaders to take bold action. Instead of …
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