On Monday, May 18, 2020, Congresswoman Cheri Bustos (IL-17), Senator Dick Durbin (IL), Senator Chuck Grassley (IA), Congressman David McKinley (WV-1), and Senator Tammy Duckworth (IL), announced [gratifying news….] The Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP), in coordination with the United States Marshals Service (USMS), now will test all inmates for COVID-19, prior to transferring them to BOP quarantine sites. In addition, eight BOP locations have been removed from the list of BOP quarantine sites.
Locations that no longer will be quarantine sites are USP Thomson, IL; FCI Gilmer, WV; FCC Hazelton, WV; FCC Terre Haute, IN; FCI Ray Brook, NY; FCI El Reno, OK; FDC Houston, TX; FCI Fairton, NJ.
The announcement follows a bipartisan, bicameral letter to BOP Director Michael Carvajal and U. S. Marshals Service Director Donald Washington. It was led by the Lawmakers last week. They had raised questions about the dangers of transferring asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic inmates between facilities.
Congresswoman Bustos stated, “After calling for COVID-19 testing for all newly-admitted inmates, prior to transfer, we are encouraged by USMS’s and BOP’s new policy. Testing every inmate and ensuring they are negative for COVID-19 before transferring them to quarantine sites is the right decision for inmates, staff, and local communities. We urge BOP also to test every inmate in BOP’s custody and confirm they are negative for COVID-19, prior to transferring them to another BOP facility, whether from a quarantine site or other BOP institution.
“Additionally, the elimination of eight locations from the BOP-designated quarantine list is another step in the right direction, to protect inmates and staff from the spread of COVID-19. The safety and health of inmates and staff must be BOP’s top priority.
“These changes in BOP’s policy are good news. However, we remain concerned by the ongoing staffing shortages affecting BOP institutions, including USP Thomson. We are committed to working with BOP, to address the staffing shortages at USP Thomson and other facilities….[We] once again call on BOP to prioritize hiring additional staff to meet the needs of their institutions, particularly during this crisis.”
Several of the Lawmakers previously have cited concerns about BOP’s failure to implement a sufficient screening process that included testing.