Latest news with #InspectorGeneral
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
A Federal Inmate Had a Limb Partially Amputated After Being Kept in Restraints for Two Days
A federal inmate had to have one of his or her limbs partially amputated after being kept in restraints for two days. Another incarcerated person died after being pepper sprayed and left shackled in a restraint chair for five hours. The Department of Justice Office of Inspector General (OIG), an independent watchdog agency, published those details in a memorandum released Monday that found inadequate policies and limited oversight of the use of physical restraints on inmates in the Bureau of Prisons (BOP). The inspector general launched the investigation after receiving dozens of complaints a year from inmates alleging they were strapped to beds or chairs for long periods of time and assaulted or otherwise mistreated while restrained. A 2022 investigation by The Marshall Project and NPR uncovered rampant abuse and deaths at U.S. Penitentiary Thomson, a federal prison in Illinois. "Specifically, many men reported being shackled in cuffs so tight they left scars, or being 'four-pointed' and chained by each limb to a bed for hours, far beyond what happens at other prisons and in violation of bureau policy and federal regulations," the report found. A follow-up investigation by the outlets published last December found dozens of similar allegations of prolonged shackling and abuse at another federal prison in Western Virginia. BOP policy allows corrections staff to use restraints to gain control of disruptive inmates—ranging from ambulatory restraints that allow limited freedom of movement to four-point restraints and waist chains that render one immobile from the neck down. However, restraints are only supposed to be used as a last resort, and never as a method of punishment. When the inspector general tried to investigate whether allegations of abuse were true, it was stymied by poor documentation and lack of video or audio evidence to verify whether staff were even performing required medical checks of inmates in restraints. Additionally, there were no limits on how long inmates could be kept in restraints and limited review of the use of restraints by regional headquarters. "We found that shortcomings in BOP's policies and practices contributed to the concerns we identified and limited the availability of evidence that could either corroborate or refute inmates' accounts of what happened while they were in restraints, thereby impairing the OIG's ability to investigate allegations of misconduct by BOP employees," the memo says. The danger of those shortcomings was underscored by one case uncovered by investigators, where an inmate was held in a combination of ambulatory restraints and a restraint chair for more than two days. "The inmate's injury worsened to the point of needing hospitalization and amputation despite medical checks occurring at time intervals that complied with policy," the memo stated. "The medical checks were completed by different medical staff who did not discuss the progression of the inmate's injuries between shifts, and there were no photographs or video recordings to document that a medical check was actually performed and to show the progression of the inmate's injuries." In another case, the inspector general found that an incarcerated person was "placed in a restraint chair with restraints on both wrists and both ankles for more than 2 days and then, less than 2 hours after being released from restraints, sprayed by BOP staff with Oleoresin Capsicum following an alleged altercation with a cellmate and placed back in the restraint chair for another approximately 5 hours until being discovered unresponsive." The autopsy report listed the cause of death as "Vaso-Occlusive Crisis due to Sickle Cell Disease Complicating Oleoresin Capsicum Use and Prolonged Restraint Following Altercation." The memo recommended improving guidelines and training for staff on when and how long inmates can be placed in restraints, strengthening the reporting requirements, and requiring audio and video recording of health checks of inmates in restraints. The BOP concurred with all of the inspector general's recommendations and said in an official response letter that it is working to implement them. "The BOP is committed to addressing these issues and implementing meaningful improvements and views OIG's recommendations as a crucial opportunity to enhance agency practices and ensure the humane treatment of all inmates," BOP Director William Marshall III wrote. The post A Federal Inmate Had a Limb Partially Amputated After Being Kept in Restraints for Two Days appeared first on
The Independent
19 hours ago
- The Independent
FBI Special Agent supervisor hired prostitutes on assignments, watchdog claims
A former FBI special agent supervisor hired prostitutes while on assignments, the Justice Department 's watchdog body has claimed. The Office of the Inspector General released an investigative summary Tuesday, which stated that the FBI came to the watchdog, claiming a then-special agent who supervised other agents hired and used prostitutes while traveling both domestically and overseas for work. The agency also claimed that the agent, who was unnamed in the summary, used an 'FBI-issued mobile device' to complete transactions related to the hiring of prostitutes, according to the summary. The agent was accused of failing to self-report 'close or continuous contact' with a foreign national they were dating while overseas, the watchdog said. The watchdog's investigation confirmed the FBI's allegations, which included finding the agent hired and used prostitutes on 'numerous occasions.' It additionally found the agent failed to self-report 'close or continuous contact' with the foreign prostitutes he hired. Despite the watchdog's findings, 'criminal prosecution was declined,' according to the summary. The Independent has reached out to the FBI for comment. This is not the first instance of an FBI agent paying for sex while overseas. In March, a separate investigation by the watchdog accusing FBI agents of using prostitutes while stationed in Cambodia, the Philippines and Thailand was made public following a lawsuit filed by The New York Times. The investigation found from 2009 to 2018, those agents were paying for or accepting sex from prostitutes while socializing with other agents and the local police. In a statement to the NYT in March, the FBI said, 'Everyone who engaged in this inexcusable behavior was held accountable and no longer works for the FBI.' The agency said at the time it had changed its selection and training processes for agents working overseas. It's unclear when the incidents detailed in Tuesday's investigative summary occurred.
Washington Post
a day ago
- Washington Post
FBI supervisor hired prostitutes while on assignment, watchdog says
An FBI special agent who supervised other agents had sex with prostitutes during overseas assignments and domestic travels and used an agency-issued device to pay for the encounters, the Justice Department's watchdog said Tuesday, committing policy violations that agency officials have said could expose agents to extortion. The findings by the department's Office of the Inspector General resemble damning reports of misconduct that have been made public in recent years showing FBI agents solicited or had sex with prostitutes in several countries while stationed overseas or traveling for work.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Social Security payments cut in half for some recipients
(NewsNation) — Some Social Security recipients will see smaller payments in July and beyond as the agency starts taking back funds from those who were initially overpaid. Between the fiscal years of 2015 and 2022, the Social Security Administration paid out almost $72 billion in incorrect payments, according to the SSA's Office of the Inspector General. Overpayments can happen when a beneficiary doesn't update an income change, for example. This can cause the agency to incorrectly calculate someone's benefits. Here's where groceries cost more (and less) over the past year Because of these overpayments, some beneficiaries could see their monthly payments cut in half starting in July. This was announced by the agency in April, with the agency adjusting the withholding to 50% instead of all of a beneficiary's benefits. Before that announcement, only 10% of a person's benefits check was being taken for the overpayments. This changed in 2023 after the agency received negative feedback. The Social Security chief at the time, Martin O'Malley, said, 'Innocent people can be badly hurt,' according to the Detroit Free Press. Under the agency's new policies, it announced that overpayment notices would be sent out starting on April 25, 2025. Receipients who are affected would've been notified that the start date for withholding 50% of each check would be around July 24, 2025. The 10 most affordable cities for renters who need childcare, according to Redfin If you don't want to have half of your benefits taken each month, you do have the option of repaying the overpayment online or by check. If you want to learn how to do so, you can visit the agency's website. You can also request a waiver that states you do not need to repay the overpayment if you believe it wasn't your fault or if you cannot afford it. If you need to know when to expect your check in July, you can check the Social Security Administration's retirement schedule online. Payments are based on your birth date, with the following dates for July: Wednesday, July 9: Birth dates between the 1st and the 10th Wednesday, July 16: Birth dates between the 11th and 20th Wednesday, July 23: Birth dates between the 21st and 31st If you receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI), then you should get your check July 1. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Four ways policing in Columbus has changed five years after the death of George Floyd
In the spring and summer of 2020, protests and demonstrations in response to the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis rocked Columbus. Since then, the city and the Columbus Division of Police have ushered in a variety of reforms and changes designed to increase police accountability and change the way police handle situations from protests to mental health crises. More: Five years after George Floyd protests, activists, Columbus officials say more work needed Here are four of the key changes: In November 2020, Columbus voters approved an independent civilian board to review accusations of misconduct. Voters also approved the creation of the Department of the Inspector General, which investigates police misconduct and excessive use of force. Today, the Civilian Police Review board has 11 members. Jacqueline Hendricks, a retired Detroit police officer and former investigator for the Detroit Office of Inspector General, was appointed Columbus' first inspector general in Feb. 2022. Citizens can file complaints to the Department of Inspector General in person, online and by phone. In 2022, the city selected 100 senior Columbus police officers with 25 or more years of experience for $200,000 retirement incentive buyouts. The city said these buyouts would offer officers resistant to change and reform a way out. Four commanders, nine lieutenants, 28 sergeants and 59 officers were selected. They came from a variety of units, including the SWAT, basic training and community service unit, as well as the chief's office. Most or all of the officers in the mounted unit were included in the list. The unit had come under criticism during crowd control for the George Floyd demonstrations. The 100 officers came from 217 who applied for the buyouts. About 500 were eligible to apply. After a $5.75 million settlement with injured protestors who sued police and an independent post-incident analysis that found flaws in Columbus' protest response, Columbus police sought to revamp its response to protests. Working with international crowd psychology experts, Columbus police founded a Dialogue Team. Its officers wear bright blue vests and appear at protests. They say they work with protestors and demonstrators to find ways they can safely express their First Amendment rights. Columbus also restricted officers from using tear gas, pepper spray and other 'control agents' against nonviolent protestors and set limits to use of 'less lethal' weapons like wooden bullets in a City Council ordinance passed in June 2022. The ordinance codified a preliminary injunction restricting the use of those weapons by Chief U.S. District Judge Algenon L. Marbley in the lawsuit from injured demonstrators. Columbus has adopted several programs combining healthcare and social workers with emergency workers to better respond to certain non-criminal incidents, including crises that arise from untreated mental illnesses or addiction. Today, Columbus has four Alternative Crisis Response Teams: the Rapid Response Emergency and Addiction Crisis Team, the Right Response Unit, the Specialized Program Assessing Resource Connectivity and the Mobile Crisis Response Unit. The teams generally work by pairing social workers or healthcare workers with police to triage and respond to incidents, and by linking people suffering from crises to longer term resources to address their underlying conditions. In addition, Mayor Andrew J. Ginther hired Chief Elaine Bryant in 2021 as the first person to be hired as chief from outside the department's current ranks. Following the December 2020 death of Andre Hill, City Council passed Andre's Law, which requires officers to have their body cameras turned on and provide medical aid. Columbus also funded an upgrade to the department's body worn cameras. Public Safety and Breaking News Reporter Bailey Gallion can be reached at bagallion@ This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus police changes after George Floyd protests: What happened?
