FCC Hazelton is the second deadliest prison in the country, new report says
- Frank Egan
- Jun 6, 2024
- 2 min read
Article owned and originally published by WDTV 5 News on Feb. 15, 2024.
BRIDGEPORT, W.Va (WDTV) - U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) published a new report on inmate deaths in federal prisons.
Senator Joe Manchin said that the report found that “the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) failed to prevent the deaths of 344 inmates over the course of eight years, including 14 at West Virginia’s Federal Correctional Complex (FCC) Hazelton, the second highest amount of any BOP institution in the country”.
The Senator went on to say that Corrections Officers at Hazelton were being mandated to work 16 hour shifts up to 4 days a week, and the prison had been engaging in a practice called “augmentation,” which has non-CO personnel such as cooks, plumbers, and counselors being required to work as COs.
Manchin says this practice is extremely dangerous, puts untrained staff in threatening positions, and diverts resources away from critical prison programs.
“I am deeply disturbed by this new report on inmate deaths in federal prisons, including at West Virginia’s FCC Hazelton facility. It is far past time we pass legislation to improve oversight and increase transparency to protect both the people working in these facilities and the individuals incarcerated in the federal prison system. We also must address the severe staffing shortages that exacerbate these dangerous environments. In November 2023, I called on BOP Director Colette Peters to approve a 25 percent retention incentive for all staff in good standing at FCC Hazelton and I renew this request,” Senator Manchin said. “Today’s report should be a call to action and makes crystal clear that adequate staffing is essential for creating safer and more secure conditions for staff and inmates. While I will continue working with my colleagues to advance commonsense reforms, I call on Director Peters to quickly approve this request.”
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