Federal inspection finds ‘serious operational deficiencies’ in Sheridan prison
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — When federal officials conducted an unannounced inspection of an Oregon prison, they found “several serious operational deficiencies” including healthcare staffing shortages and correctional officer vacancies.
On Wednesday, the Department of Justice’s Office of the Inspector General uncovered its assessment of Sheridan’s Federal Correctional Institution.
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The inspection ran from Monday, Nov. 27 to Friday, Dec. 1, 2023. Throughout the week, the DOJ noted multiple safety and security failures impacting the prison’s staff and inmates.
A lack of sufficient healthcare services was one of the agency’s main findings.
The report showed the Health Services Department was 67% staffed, with only three out of seven nurse positions filled and with no phlebotomist on site to collect blood for lab testing.
According to the inspector, the Sheridan institution had developed a backlog of 725 laboratory orders since March 2022 — when it last had a phlebotomist.
“One FCI Sheridan physician told us that the backlog has compromised his ability to treat patients and has prevented him from monitoring the effects of medication on his patients’ kidney and liver functions,” the report said. “These limitations are concerning for the treatment of any medical condition, but especially concerning for the treatment of chronic conditions, such as diabetes and hepatitis C, that regularly affect inmates.”
The DOJ also found a correctional officer shortage, with just 81% of Correctional Services positions filled. The agency said inmates are often locked in their cells during the day and unable to participate in recreational activities, due to the lack of staff to supervise them.
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As a result of the shortage, prison management has ordered COs to work overtime and ordered non-Correctional-Services employees to temporarily conduct officer work in lieu of their typical duties.
Additionally, the Psychology Services Department had 11 openings for employees in the nine-month Residential Drug Abuse Program. The inspector found that 70 inmates at the minimum security camp were waiting to join the program.
A majority of the affected inmates had transferred to the facility specifically for RDAP, and others were concerned they wouldn’t be able to finish the program in time to have 12 months reduced from their prison sentence.
Staffing shortages in the Education Department also led to a waitlist of over 300 inmates for a work skills class, and over 500 inmates for an anger management program. Over 600 inmates were waiting to join a program that addresses mental health challenges involving trauma.
The inspector also recorded 98 open employee misconduct investigations at the Sheridan institution.
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Eighty-nine of the cases were still being investigated. According to the DOJ, there was substantial evidence pointing to misconduct in the remaining cases but they were “pending a disciplinary sanction decision” because the facility had only recently hired a Special Investigative Agent in August 2023.
The federal agency additionally reported that staff failed to track all allegations of inmate-on-inmate sexual misconduct, and only tracked the allegations they felt needed a comprehensive investigation.
“While FCI Sheridan could presumably reconstruct existing records to populate the full universe of inmate-on-inmate sexual misconduct allegations, we are concerned that the procedure it was using to track these allegations was inconsistent with Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) National Standards, which are incorporated into [Bureau of Prisons] policy,” the inspection said.
The Office of the Inspector General noted that many of its findings at the Sheridan facility are representative of issues at other institutions.
Read the prison’s full statement below.
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The Federal Bureau of Prisons (FBOP) values the Office of Inspector General’s (OIG) report and appreciates the OIG’s acknowledgment that the FBOP has taken several proactive measures to enhance operations at the Federal Correctional Institution Sheridan. We appreciate the thorough evaluation conducted by the OIG, while no recommendations have been issued with this report, we remain committed to addressing any recommendations from related products and look forward to communicating our work with OIG with the onsite inspection program.
The FBOP has already taken substantial steps, as outlined in the OIG’s report, to ensure the adults in custody receive vital medical and mental healthcare. Following the OIG’s inspection, FCI Sheridan took immediate action to reduce backlogs in healthcare and the FBOP remains committed to recruiting and retaining staff, ensuring compliance with the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA), reentry planning, and communicating infrastructure-related activities with the OIG.
The FBOP appreciates the collaborative efforts with the OIG and remains committed to continuous improvement in providing secure environments for both our employees and individuals in our care.
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