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Federal New York Lockup Draws New Scrutiny in Epstein Death

Associated Press

   NEW YORK - The apparent suicide of Jeffrey Epstein has brought new
   scrutiny to a federal jail in New York that, despite chronic
   understaffing, houses some of the highest-security inmates in the
   country.

   Epstein's death is also the latest black eye for the U.S. Bureau of
   Prisons, the jail's parent agency that already was under fire for the
   October death of Boston gangster James "Whitey" Bulger, who was fatally
   beaten at a federal prison in West Virginia shortly after his arrival.

   Taken together, the deaths underscore "serious issues surrounding a
   lack of leadership" within the BOP, said Cameron Lindsay, a former
   warden who ran three federal lockups, including the Metropolitan
   Detention Center in Brooklyn.

   A defense attorney for Epstein, Marc Fernich, also faulted jail
   officials, saying they "recklessly put Mr. Epstein in harm's way" and
   failed to protect him.

   The Bureau of Prisons did not respond to repeated requests for details
   about Epstein's death. But Attorney General William Barr demanded
   answers, saying he was appalled by the apparent suicide and announcing
   a pair of federal inquiries by the FBI and the Justice Department's
   inspector general.

   Epstein, 66, had pleaded not guilty to federal sex trafficking and
   conspiracy charges. His lawyers maintained the charges against him
   violated a non-prosecution agreement he signed over a decade ago.

   Understaffing

   Epstein's death brings fresh attention to the staffing at Manhattan's
   Metropolitan Correctional Center, where shortages worsened by a partial
   government shutdown prompted inmates to stage a hunger strike in
   January after they were denied family and lawyer visits.

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