Conditions inside the D.C. Jail are hazardous to inmates and staff, according to a new report by the city’s auditor.
The 40-year-old D.C. Jail and its Correctional Treatment Facility have deteriorated past the point where it’s safe to work and live there, D.C. Auditor Kathy Patterson reported.
“The Department of Health has repeatedly cited the Department of Corrections for water coming through walls from a leaking roof at the D.C. Jail, mold growing on walls, shower stalls being damaged and temperatures that were frequently outside of allowable standards,” Patterson writes.
The report also flagged repeated violations in the food service area and said that inspections did not stay on schedule, adding that without capital funding soon, the facility will fall further out of environmental compliance. Mayor Muriel Bowser and the D.C. Council have not appropriated the full amounts in capital funding requested to make necessary improvements, Patterson said.
A new jail is budgeted; construction is slated to begin in 2025. City Administrator Rashad Young has said it will take five years to build.
Read the report:
D.C.jail.Report.2.28.19 by wtopweb on Scribd
