SUMTER COUNTY, Fla. — The Office of the Inspector General is now reviewing whether the federal prison in Sumter County complied with federal coronavirus policies.
What You Need To Know
- Office of Inspector General reviewing FCC Coleman response to COVID-19
- Inspection comes after a 2nd inmate died of coronavirus last week
- COMPLETE COVERAGE: Latest coronavirus news and resources in Florida
According to the OIG website, previous federal prison remote inspections included a review of Bureau of Prisons documents and complaints, phone interviews, and a survey of BOP employees.
The inspection of FCC Coleman comes as just last week, a second inmate at the prison died.
New numbers out Wednesday indicate the coronavirus outbreak at FCC Coleman continues to get worse.
Coleman Low, the minimum security facility, now has the most inmates currently positive for COVID-19 out of all 122 federal institutions. Coleman Medium has the most number of staff currently positive.
NEW: Federal Bureau of Prisons spokesman confirmed to me the Office of the Inspector General conducted a remote inspection of FCC Coleman & is reviewing if prison complied w/federal policy when responding to COVID-19 pandemic. Hundreds positive. 2 deaths. @MyNews13 #N13COVID19 pic.twitter.com/58tRISDjfw
— Stephanie Coueignoux (@StephanieCNews) August 12, 2020
Both facilities have had one inmate die from coronavirus, including Saferia Johnson who died last Monday.
“You do a crime … you need to do your time! But it doesn’t have to be your life. It was her life. She’s gone,” says Johnson’s aunt, Carol Holmes.
Jose Rojas, the vice president of the prison staff union for the Southeast Region, is blasting how the Federal Bureau of Prisons has handled the pandemic.
“That’s why you see the chaos you see now, because they are not held accountable and they need to be,” Rojas said.
Spectrum News asked the OIG to provide copies of any complaints, but we have not received a response.
“We’re hoping to see some action from our Congressional leaders — holding the BOP accountable. There’s no oversight on the BOP,” Rojas shared.
Following Spectrum News 13 Watchdog unit’s series of investigations into FCC Coleman’s response to the pandemic, Rep. Darren Soto (D-Florida) sent a letter to the prisons’ wardens.
A BOP spokesman confirmed Warden Roy Cheatham has now been reassigned within the prison but did not answer our question about why he was reassigned.
Rojas hopes the OIG report creates the changes he’s been fighting for: including testing for all staff members, and safer conditions for both inmates and staff.
“If they find something lacking or something that’s a serious health issue, they need to do something,” says Rojas.
The OIG has already published reports for two other federal facilities. Several areas of concern the OIG found include lack of medical staff, ineffective screening methods, and a low number of inmates released on home confinement.
As soon as the OIG releases its report on FCC Coleman, Spectrum News will post that report online.