Prisons

C.J. Ciaramella | 9.6.2024 2:01 PM

In February, a criminal justice advocacy group warned the federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) that there was a severe problem with synthetic marijuana inside a federal women's prison in Minnesota. Women were vomiting, hallucinating, and having seizures after smoking the contraband drug.

Nothing happened, besides a perfunctory reply from the warden about the agency's commitment to safety.

Last week, at least seven women at the same prison were sent to a local hospital for suspected drug overdoses, and incarcerated women and attorneys say the conditions inside are chaotic, filthy, and violent because of rampant abuse of the dangerous drug.

"Last week, out of an abundance of caution, the Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) Waseca sent seven incarcerated individuals exhibiting signs of drug use to a local hospital for additional evaluation," a BOP spokesperson confirmed to Reason. "All were evaluated and returned the same day."

"The [BOP] takes seriously our duty to protect the individuals entrusted in our custody, as well as to keep correctional employees and the community safe, by maintaining a controlled environment that is secure and humane," the spokesperson continued.

The conditions at FCI Waseca, which holds roughly 900 women, are part of the wider, chronic dysfunction and poor conditions inside the federal prison system. Earlier this year, the BOP shut down a women's prison in California that had become a notorious haven for corrupt and sexually abusive guards. (All of the women at that prison, FCI Dublin, were transferred to other prisons, including FCI Waseca.) Congress also passed a bill in........

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