More than one-third of the inmate population at a federal prison in Devens have tested positive for coronavirus, with the area s two U.S. representatives requesting immediate action to stop the spread.
The letter, sent Tuesday by U.S. Reps. Lori Trahan and Jim McGovern, asks Federal Bureau of Prisons Director Michael Carvajal to address what they say are staffing shortages and hospitalizations contributing to the virus s spread. Both are Democrats, with Devens falling into Trahan s district.
FMC Devens has 268 active cases among inmates and 14 among staff, according to the Bureau of Prisons. That makes up 36% of the prisoner population of 742, and according to Trahan and McGovern, the bulk have been reported in just the past two weeks.
Lompoc prison officials release 44 inmates to home confinement; more than 120 deemed eligible santamariatimes.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from santamariatimes.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Jeremy Scott/1470-100.3 WMBD
PEKIN, Ill. Illinois Senators Tammy Duckworth and Dick Durbin, along with 17th District Rep. Cheri Bustos, have penned a letter to urge all inmates and staff at Federal Correctional Institute in Pekin be tested for COVID-19.
The letter sent Monday to Bureau of Prisons Director Michael Carvajal and Warden Dan Sproul came before active positive cases jumped from 313 on Monday to 353 on Tuesday.
“It just shows you in just one day one day, alone, from the 14th to the 15th the Pekin prison saw an increase of 40 inmate cases of COVID-19 that were reported. I just think it’s a sign that shows how significant this latest outbreak is, and literally how irresponsible the Bureau of Prisons is in refusing to do full testing at the site,” said Bustos.
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