D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton is calling for the safe release of inmates from Hope Village, a District halfway house, after two men at the facility died from the coronavirus.
In a letter expressing concern for the safety of residents and staff, Norton asked the director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons, Michael Carvajal, to stop coronavirus from spreading further at the Southeast D.C. facility, which houses hundreds of D.C. and federal inmates.
Both men died within four days of each other while housed there.
Norton also called on federal officials to look into the living conditions at the facility. In her letter, sent Sunday, she said, “I ask that you immediately investigate the conditions at Hope Village, and I renew my urgent call that the BOP do an unannounced visit to the facility as soon as possible.”
Norton has requested a response from the bureau by Wednesday.
Read the letter below:
Dear Director Carvajal:
I understand that a resident of Hope Village, the men’s residential re-entry center, or halfway house, in the District of Columbia, passed away this morning. This is the second death of a resident at Hope Village this weekend. I ask that you immediately investigate the conditions at Hope Village, and I renew my urgent call that the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) do an unannounced visit to the facility as soon as possible. Given these two deaths, a site visit is more urgent and appropriate than ever.
Next, I ask that you release as many individuals as possible from Hope Village, excluding, obviously, those for whose release would be inappropriate. Almost all the residents at Hope Village are transitioning home anyway, after having already served most of their sentences at a federal prison.
Hope Village is not a federal facility, but it houses BOP inmates through a federal contract, as well as D.C. Department of Corrections inmates through a D.C. contract. However, because it receives significant funding from BOP, I ask that you immediately investigate conditions at Hope Village. I also ask that you respond in writing within three days of the date of this letter, given the urgency of this matter.
Sincerely,
Eleanor Holmes Norton
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