![]() As the pandemic picked up steam last year, D.C. Department of Corrections facilities have tested positive for coronavirus since last year, and one resident has died, according to city data. Jaimie Meyer, an assistant professor of medicine at Yale School of Medicine, on behalf of the plaintiffs in last year's class action.Ī total of 263 residents at D.C. "Disciplinary segregation or solitary confinement facilities is not an effective disease containment strategy," testified Dr. But correctional officials, physicians, and civil liberties groups have called the policy inhumane and ineffective. Booth said the prolonged lockdown was the only way to prevent rapid viral spread within the facilities and adhere to court oversight. The order required the agency to provide prompt medical care to residents, enforce social distancing, distribute hygiene materials, ramp up coronavirus testing, and improve conditions for isolated residents "so that they are non-punitive and specifically allow for access to phone calls, daily showers, and clean clothes," according to the American Civil Liberties Union of D.C., which represented the plaintiffs.ĭOC Director Quincy L. In response to the suit, a federal court judge issued a preliminary injunction against the DOC, ordering the agency to put in place a number of precautionary health and safety measures. "Experts predict that COVID-19 will 'spread like wildfire' in DOC facilities," the lawsuit said. Jail - which is made up of the Central Detention Facility and Correctional Treatment Facility - brought a class action against the DOC in March 2020, accusing the agency of failing to prevent coronavirus spread. Video visitations will also be restored on a limited basis by June 7, after the DOC suspended them, saying facilitating the calls posed a health risk to staff.īarbering and cosmetology services have resumed for residents with upcoming jury trials, according to the department, and all will have access to the services by June 1 if there are enough available contractors and participating residents who can show they've been vaccinated. Residents will have access to outdoor recreation for at least 1.5 hours per week starting May 15, according to the DOC, and additional increases will be considered as more staff and residents are vaccinated against the coronavirus. "I recognize this is a challenging situation, but people who are awaiting their day in court or serving their sentence deserve better." "This is not an exit plan," Allen said in a statement. Councilmember Charles Allen (D-Ward 6), who chairs the legislature's judiciary committee, told the Washington Post that the modest schedule change doesn't go far enough. military, was temporarily placed on lockdown.Ĭopyright 2021 The Associated Press. After that violence, the Pentagon, the headquarters of the U.S. A suspect was shot by law enforcement and died at the scene. Just last week, a Pentagon police officer was stabbed to death after a burst of violence at a transit center outside the building. Barricade your door, turn off the lights and your cell phone ringer, and remain silent. ![]() “If you do not have a safe route to run, HIDE. “If you encounter the individual and have a safe route, RUN,” base officials posted on Facebook in the first moments of the lockdown. Over the years there have been a few incidents where that activity filtered onto the base, including one where a suspect being sought by police scaled a fence and was taken into custody by Defense Department authorities. The installation is in an area that occasionally has local police activity nearby. ![]()
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