Fast Facts (Full BOP stats can be found here)
Confirmed active cases at 105 BOP facilities and 15 RRCs
Currently positive-testing inmates: 314 (down from 320) Currently positive-testing staff: 668 (down from 735) Recovered inmates currently in the BOP: 49,055 (down from 49,101) Recovered staff: 13,808 (up from 13,732)
Institutions with the largest number of currently positive-testing inmates:
Berlin FCI: 34 (up from 28)
Houston FDC: 26
Yazoo City Low FCI: 24
Institutions with the largest number of currently positive-testing staff:
Central Office HQ: 57 (unchanged)
Brooklyn MDC: 32 (unchanged)
Carswell FMC: 30
System-wide testing results: Presently, BOP has 142,502 federal inmates in BOP-managed institutions and 14,038 in community-based facilities. Today's stats: Completed tests: 128,705 (down from 128,716) Positive tests: 55,353 (down from 55,364)
Total vaccine doses administered: 329,709 (up from 329,626)
Case Note: Where have all the BOP COs gone....?
A recent article in Yahoo News ("DeSantis sends National Guard to help with Florida prison staffing shortage," by Luke Barr), focusing principally on Florida Governor Ron DeSantis bringing in the National Guard to assist with the staff shortages in the state prisons, takes a detour to also address the present dire staffing shortages in the federal prisons, which have lost some 20% of its staff during the last two years:
There is a severe staffing shortage at federal prisons nationwide as well.
"The unprecedented and remarkable steps taken by Governor DeSantis in sending the National Guard to assist the Florida Department of Corrections is indicative of a profession in crisis with nationwide public safety implications," said Shane Fausey, president of the National Council of Prison Locals 33, the union that represents federal corrections officers around the country.
"The Bureau of Prisons, much like our state and county counterparts, have seen an ominous exodus from our agency, aggravated by serious difficulties in recruiting and hiring," he said.
Fausey said the Bureau of Prisons saw a departure of nearly 3,000 correctional officers and employees in 2021, and is on course to lose an additional 3,000 by the end of 2022, nearly 20% of its total workforce.
The BOP said in a statement to ABC News that the agency is "committed to ensuring appropriate staffing levels to maintain the safety and security of staff, inmates, and its institutions. The BOP continues to take concrete steps to increase staffing. This includes hiring Correctional Officers up to 100% primarily through external hiring efforts, filling all First Step Act (FSA) dedicated-funded positions, and backfilling projected separations in order to maintain staffing levels."
"The BOP is also focusing on training in order to retain current staffing levels. Additionally, we are currently offering a recruitment incentive to any current staff member for each applicant who is referred and successfully enters on duty to the BOP," the statement continued, referring to its website for more details on staffing.
"I implore executive action by the White House administration, coupled with emergency actions of Congress, be implemented immediately to address our inadequate pay bands, crippling staffing shortages, and incentivize the retention of our most experienced officers and employees," Fausey said.
Death Watch (Note: The BOP press website announces BOP COVID-related deaths here.) The BOP has identified no new COVID-related fatalities. The total number COVID-related inmate deaths remains at 306. Eleven of the inmates died while on home confinement. Staff deaths remain at 7.
Kommentare