ATLANTA — Atlanta's embattled federal penitentiary has made improvements, but the facility is far from meeting the standards Sen. Jon Ossoff has laid out for the Federal Bureau of Prisons, he said Wednesday.
Following a 10-month investigation into corruption, abuse, and misconduct at the U.S. penitentiary, Georgia's U.S. Senator inspected the facility on Wednesday to see if leadership has addressed any of the concerns.
"We saw encouraging signs of improved management and I heard a firm commitment from the new leadership to continue improving this facility and safeguarding public safety in the community," Ossoff said.
With the federal prison as his backdrop, Ossoff addressed media Wednesday and said though what he witnessed during his tour of the facility is encouraging, it doesn't bode the results he hopes to see in the near future.
"I'm a long way from being prepared to declare that the problem has been solved," he told reporters in Atlanta.
Ossoff announced improvements to the prison after inspecting the facility and speaking to prison staff and inmates. He was joined by Colette Peters, the new Director at the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) and the new warden Sylvester Jenkins.
According to a press release from his office, the findings undermined public safety and civil rights, likely contributed to loss of life, and jeopardized the health and safety of incarcerated people and staff. He said Wednesday these shortfalls also threatened the safety of those who live in Atlanta and Georgia overall.
"What I see are early indications of more competent management," Ossoff said after his tour Wednesday.
He said he inspected the special housing unit, dental and medical facilities, conditions in the kitchen and food storage to help address issues raised during the investigation regarding hygiene.
"The civil and constitutional rights of all who are held in this facility are important," he emphasized. "Every human being has dignity, every human being is entitled to respect, and everyone in this country is guaranteed constitutional rights even if they've been convicted of a crime."
A letter provided to 11Alive from the senator's office shows a list of improvements made to the U.S. Penitentiary Atlanta for people awaiting trial. The letter was addressed to the current warden of the prison and can be read below.
To help hold other facilities accountable, Ossoff is leading the charge for the bipartisan Federal Prison Oversight Act. It would create a new office under the Department of Justice to oversee the federal prison system and instill consistent inspections and assess risks associated with each facility, the senator said.
As far as the Atlanta pen, improvements for pretrial detainees who are still legally innocent come after several staff members met with The Federal Defender Program, Inc. (FDP) in August.
Prison staff met with the community defender organization to discuss complaints and improvements that could be made for pretrial detainees.
FDP represented some pretrial detainees at the prison, a spokesperson from Ossoff's team said.
The letter included the points below as some improvements were made for pretrial detainees.
- Direct access to the jail administrator via cellphone
- Immediate access to prescription medications for mental health issues as soon as they arrive at USP-Atlanta
- Changes in visitation hours as well as requirements for scheduled appointments for legal visits
- Access to discovery - purchasing a computer specifically for discovery review and a separate computer for legal research in the law library
- Direct phone line and privacy booth for FDP clients to make legal calls
- Commissary items, including a variety of other-the-counter medications
- Installing a water fountain with cold and hot water
- Pretrial detainees are no longer on 23-hour lockdown
- Additional phone lines were installed to make calls to friends and family