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Responses under the FOIA
Here are some other public records released by the Bureau of Prisons' Central Office under the FOIA. BOP's Freedom of Information Act / Privacy Act ("FOIA/PA") Office is sorely underfunded, understaffed, and overwhelmed by the constant crush of electronic requests, so viewers will note a long wait time for responses. While BOP seems systemically incapable of complying with the FOIA's response requirements, the Requestor acknowledges and appreciates the FOIA/PA Office's, and its staffers', professionalism and best efforts under impossible conditions.
2009 February, Capacities Report on BOP and Private prison facilities, Rated and Designation
For the first time since Attorney General Janet Reno signed off on the BOP's State of the Bureau 1999, here are the rated and designation capacities of every Bureau of Prisons facility and every private prison holding federal inmates. Rated Capacities disclose the number of inmates "for which each DFCL [designation facility] was designed," while Designation Capacities measure " the equitable proportion of the inmates in a particular security level that each designation facility having that security level should house." USDOJ-FBOP Program Statement (P.S.) 5100.08, Section 1(h), Ch. 3, pp. 3-4. This document also provides a breakdown, as of 10 February 2009, how overcrowded (or undercrowded) each facility was.
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BOP Medical Care Levels, Faciliities List
This is the BOP's list of Medical Care Level classifications . BOP prisons are divided into four Medical Care Levels: Level 1, more than about ninety minutes from a regional medical facility (healthy inmates only); Level 2, within about ninety minutes of regional medical center (inmate can have chronic conditions, but they must be controllable with medications and regular oversight); Level 3, proximate to either a regional medical center or a Federal Medical Center (no hospitalization necessary, but emergencies are a regular risk); Level 4, Federal Medical Centers (prison hospitals).
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Ion Spectrometers banned by BOP, 10 April 2008
For several years, the Federal Bureau of Prisons has used "Ion Spectrometry" technology to ostensibly detect "contraband" ions -- drugs, explosives, and the like -- present on potential visitors' skin and clothing. For almost as long, groups such as FedCURE and the November Coalition have challenged the BOP's Ion Spec devices as inaccurate and unreasonably denying legitimate law-abiding visitors, even as the BOP claimed the devices were "99 percent accurate." See, for example, Dehmer v. BOP, District Ct. No. 07-CV-01218 (C.D. Ill.), Order of Dismissal entered 11/5/07. Pursuant to these Memoranda, however, the first dated by Central Office as 10 April 2008, the BOP finally acknowledged that "the software for these machines requires correction" and ordered all BOP facilities "to immediately suspend all use of any ion spectrometry drug detection equipment." Joyce K. Conley, Assistant Director of the BOP's Correctional Programs Division, and Thomas R. Kane, Assistant Director of Information, Policy and Public Affairs, further allowed immediate re-application for visiting privileges of persons "currently suspended [from visitation] as a result of the use of ion spectrometry drug detection equipment ."
After years of claiming 99-percent accuracy and rejecting our challenges as bunk -- and after years of complaints sent directly to BOP Director Harley Lappin -- the BOP finally has admitted grave flaws in its Ion Spectrometry "technology."
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Central District of Illinois Order, 11/5/2007
The Order where a U.S. District Judge recites the BOP's claim that Ion Spectrometry "have 'less than a 1% rate of false positive results.'”
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Rated Capacities, January 6, 2005
This is a duplicate of the document available on the "Public Federal Records" page .
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BOP's Capacity Figures, FCC Victorville, June 14, 2005
BOP's Central FOIA Office responded to a separate request, No. 05-03681, regarding FCC Victorville's capacities (rated; operational; and design) on June 14, 2005 .
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Designations Moratorium for Overcrowding, FCI Danbury, Summer 2004
This FOIA, filed in September 2004 but numbered 2005-00204, shows BOP forbidding new designations to the Federal Correctional Institution Danbury, Connecticut's Satellite Prison Camp ("SPC"), because of "severe overcrowding ."
Per the BOP's own rated capacities (see "FOIA Responses"), the BOP states FCI Danbury (main facility and its camp, as the BOP combined) is rated to hold a capacity of 654 inmates. As of noon on Thursday, August 11, 2005, though, BOP's Population Report (http://www.bop.gov/news/weekly_report.jsp) showed FCI and SPC Danbury held a total of 1,449 inmates. Simple math, then, seems to show FCI Danbury that day operated at about 222% of BOP's own "capacity" limits.
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