Senate probe spotlights ‘abusive and inhumane’ conditions at Atlanta penitentiary

[Valin]

The Hill

Chloe Folmar

07/26/22

A Senate investigative subcommittee held a hearing on Tuesday on its probe into corruption at a federal penitentiary in Atlanta, which found that prisoners were held in squalid conditions without access to basic necessities like clean water and medical care.

“The totality of this evidence uncovered thus far paints a harrowing picture of a federal prison in crisis for many years,” said Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.), chair of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations.

Ossoff said contraband items were prevalent at the U.S. Penitentiary (USP) Atlanta, including drugs and weapons.

“Conditions for inmates were abusive and inhumane, and should concern all of us who believe in our country’s constitutional traditions — that all people have an Eighth Amendment right to be free from cruel and unusual punishment and a Sixth Amendment right to counsel,” Ossoff said.

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H/T (Language Warning)

 

[Valin]

Aug 21, 2022 Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA) questioned Bureau Of Prisons Director Michael Carvajal during a Senate Homeland Security Committee hearing last month about US Penitentiary Atlanta.