Emails from MCC staff to SDNY prosecutor answering UK questions on jail conditions, 2019

EFTA00138835¶

Date	2019/09/24 15:31

Subject: RE: Follow up requests from UK re: extradition¶

Attachments: TEXT.htm¶

They’re all BOP staff.¶

Sure, we’ve given out that information publicly, so I have no problem with it. Thanks for checking!!¶

Staff Attorney¶

CLC New York¶

Metropolitan Correctional Center¶

New York, NY 10007¶

9/24/2019 10:49 AM >><>

¶

Thanks ! Are you ok with me putting the 2x monthly exterminator vitits and the sanitation info in a letter to the UK?¶

Assistant United States Attorney¶

United States Attorney’s Office¶

Southern District of New York¶

One Saint Andrew’s Plaza¶

New York, New York 10007¶

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EFTA00138836¶

Subject: RE: Follow up requests from UK re: extradition¶

is out of the office in training this week. I can offer the following info:¶

MCC contracts with an outside pest control company to have an exterminator come at least twice per month (or more frequently, as needed). The exterminator came most recently on: May 9, May 29, June 19, sometime the week of June 26 (I don’t have the exact date), sometime in early July (again, I don’t have the exact date), July 31, August 23, August 30, and September 13. A few years ago, we contracted with a pest control company that used to take notes during their visits. The notes were helpful in indicating whether and where the exterminator saw signs of mouse/waterbug activity. They were also helpful in that they never mentioned signs of rats or rodents other than mice in the institution. Unfortunately, I don’t think our current contractor keeps notes like that.¶

With respect to sanitation, there are inmate orderlies in each housing unit who are responsible for cleaning the common areas, including the showers, hallways, recreation areas - essentially all areas other than inmates’ individual cells. Inmates are responsible for keeping their own cells clean, and if they fail to do so, we can issue them an incident report for Being Unsanitary, in violation of BOP Code 330. The Safety Department and Unit Team staff strive to ensure that proper cleaning supplies are available on the housing unit, and inmates are advised to tell Unit Team staff if something runs out so it can be replenished. I don’t know if the UK was concerned about mold, but we recently had a mold inspection company test a certain area of the institution, and the results showed no indication that mold growth was ongoing and/or active.¶

I hope this helps. Let me know if they need more detail or have a specific question that I missed.¶

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EFTA00138837¶

Thanks again for all of this. The UK just followed up to ask when it can expect information re: sanitation and pest control.¶

Assistant United States Attorney¶

United States Attorney’s Office¶

Southern District of New York¶

One Saint Andrew’s Plaza¶

New York, New York 10007¶

Per Psychology:¶

CARE2-MH is indicative of an inmate who has a mental illness requiring routine outpatient mental health care (ongoing, monthly) and/or brief, crisis-oriented care.¶

Thank you,¶

thank you so much for your thorough response. Just one question. You indicate that “inmates who are CC2-MH and above are pulled out for psychological interventions in SHU as deemed necessary.”¶

Can you please just define CCS-MH (and provide that in the context of other classifications)?¶

Hi¶

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EFTA00138838¶

I am still gathering information, but wanted to give you information to start.¶

Warden J. Petrucci is the Warden for the Federal Correctional Institution Otisville, NY, and is temporarily assigned to oversee MCC New York’s operations. Warden Petrucci began his career in 1994 as a Correctional Officer at the Federal Correctional Institution Schuylkill, Pennsylvania, where he advanced to positions of increasing responsibility: Correctional Treatment Specialist, Unit Manager, and Case Management Coordinator. In 2014, Warden Petrucci promoted to Witness Security Coordinator in Washington, DC. He then promoted to Associate Warden at MDC Brooklyn, Deputy Regional Director for the Northeast Region of the Bureau of Prisons, and was named Warden at FCI Otisville this year. Warden Petrucci honorably served his country in the United States Army prior to beginning his career with the BOP.¶

From psychology:¶

• All inmates placed in SHU for 30 days receive a SHU review by the Psychology Services Department. This review involves a brief evaluation with a psychologist who assesses the inmate’s psychological functioning, suicidality, and overall adjustment in SHU.

• Psychology staff conduct weekly rounds in SHU and if an inmate expresses a need for psychology services, they are placed on a follow-up list to be seen as needed.

• Inmates who are CC2-MH and above are pulled out for psychological interventions in SHU as deemed necessary. Inmates who express a desire to speak with psychology in a private area are always pulled out and placed in a private caged area to meet with a psychologist.

• Psychology Services has Psychology Advisory List/Hot List hanging up in the SHU which lists all inmates with significant psychological issues or inmates that are at-risk of engaging in self-harm behaviors. This list serves as a guide to Correctional Officers in SHU to inform psychology services if an at-risk inmate enters the SHU. If one of these inmates are placed in SHU, psychology services sees the inmate within 24 hours of the notification for and evaluation of their mental status and adjustment to SHU.

• recommendation is placed in the Post Suicide Watch report and is sent in an e-mail to the Lieutenant’s who will be escorting the inmates from suicide watch back to SHU. These at-risk inmates are also discussed in the Executive Staff meetings as well as their need for a cellmate. Cellmate’s decrease risk for suicide by serving as a rescue opportunity, distraction, source of social support, and reduce feelings of isolation that a depressed inmate may be experiencing in SHU.

• In general, all inmates in SHU should be double celled except in exigent circumstances (Safety concernseparations from the other inmates, too violent to be celled with another, or contagious disease).

Inmate numbers:¶

The majority of cells at the MCC are designed to accommodate at least two inmates. This was upheld as constitutional at MCC in Bell v. Wolfish, 441 U.S. 520, 99 Sup. Ct. 1861, 60 L.Ed.2d. 447 (1979)¶

Staffing:¶

Measures are being taken to increase MCC’s staff complement.¶

Racial unrest:¶

Prison administrators are unaware of any racial unrest among either the inmate population or staff.¶

I am awaiting the information we typically provide regarding sanitation and pest control, and hope that for you shortly.¶

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EFTA00138839¶

Thank you,¶

I’m sure you’re inundated with inquiries right now, so I apologize for adding to your load. You may remember that we had consulted with you and BOP HQ regarding conditions at the MCC and MDC in connection with defendant Jabir Motiwala’s opposition to extradition from the UK. Following Jeffrey Epstein’s death, Motiwala has filed an additional report by former-warden Baird and attached news articles about the conditions at the MCC.¶

The attorneys in the UK handling the extradition have asked for our response. They recognize that we may not be able to address all of their questions in light of ongoing investigations, but is there any information we can provide with respect to the following (or could you let us know the proper person/people to talk to)?¶

i. With regards to the warden of the MCC and two staff members whom are said to have been reassigned since the death of Mr Epstein, are you able to confirm that their roles have been filled with suitable alternatives? In particular please provide any information about the knowledge and experience of the new warden that you are able to. [page 1, Maureen Baird’s Report, dated 22 August 2019]¶

ii. Is it possible to comment on the decision to take Mr Epstein off suicide watch and whether either, that decision was justified in the circumstances or if considered to be the wrong decision, that new measures are now in place to ensure any mistakes are not repeated. Please detail any new measures on this particular issue now in place if you are able to. [page 2, Maureen Baird’s Report, dated 22 August 2019]¶

iii. Can you provide any explanation as to why Mr Epstein did not have a new inmate sharing SDNY_00016930¶

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