MIAMI _ Nearly nine months after demanding an investigation of allegations of rampant sexual abuse at Coleman Federal Correctional Complex exposed in a Miami Herald story, Sen. Marco Rubio says he still hasn't gotten a "substantive response."
And he is not happy _ especially since there is new cause for concern with COVID-19.
On Thursday, Rubio, R-Fla., aired his grievances with the handling of the Sumter County complex _ the largest prison facility in the federal system _ in a letter to Attorney General William Barr.
"I write with dissatisfaction that the Department of Justice (DOJ) has not sufficiently responded to inquiries I have made in regard to Federal Correctional Institute (FCI) Coleman, located in Sumter County, Florida," he said. "My office has not received a substantive response, or any indication that these abhorrent allegations were investigated."
Late last year, a lawsuit was filed on behalf of 14 women, ranging in age from 30 to 56, who detailed systematic abuse at the hands of corrections officers. The suit, which seeks financial compensation and prison improvements, includes accounts from women _ many of whom used their true names _ describing coercion, threats and sexual abuse.
In his Dec. 9 letter, Rubio called the allegations "simply abhorrent," and urged Barr to "take immediate action to ensure such behavior is neither happening, nor tolerated, at FCC Coleman or any other BOP facility."
In Thursday's letter, Rubio said he followed up with the Bureau of Prisons in April, several weeks after Barr announced there would be a task force set up to look at systemic misconduct by BOP personnel. In his April letter, Rubio said he urged the bureau "to investigate FCI Coleman as part of DOJ's task force to address systemic misconduct by BOP personnel, which was announced in March 2020."
"Again, my office has not received a substantive response to this inquiry, and to date, the DOJ has not formed this task force or announced the facilities where oversight will be directed," he said.
Given a list of detailed questions by the Herald, Bureau of Prisons spokesman Justin Long offered the following response: "The Bureau of Prisons responds directly to Members of Congress. Out of respect and deference to Members, we do not share our Congressional correspondence with media."
Rubio also brought up concerns of how the COVID-19 pandemic is being handled. According to the bureau, three inmates have died at the complex including a 36-year-old mother who was serving a five-year sentence for tax fraud. Coleman also had a Legionnaires' Disease outbreak in the beginning of the year.
Rubio said that while there are policies in place, people are still getting sick.
"However, my office continues to receive numerous complaints that FCI Coleman staff are not following the Centers for Disease Control's (CDC's) Guidance for Correctional and Detention Facilities, which _ among other measures _ recommends BOP officers and inmates wear masks when in close proximity with others," he said in the letter. "Most concerning, my office has been made aware that facility management may have ordered staff to return to work despite testing positive for COVID-19. I have already requested the BOP take immediate action to address this allegation, and I look forward to the outcome of its investigation."
Rubio said the "delay in meaningfully responding to congressional oversight has eroded trust in the BOP, and has potentially endangered its staff, and the inmates in their care."
In addition to requesting a response to his initial inquiries over the sexual abuse allegations, Rubio added to the list "FCI Coleman's implementation and observance of the CDC's COVID-19 guidance to correctional facilities."
"It is our shared goal that all BOP staff and individuals in their custody and care have a safe environment in which to work or serve their debt to society," he said. "My office stands ready to assist you in this endeavor."
