Federal Bureau of Prisons Locks Down Prisoners and Takes Away Communications Amid Protests
https://theappeal.org/federal-bureau-of-prisons-locks-down-prisoners-and-takes-away-communications-amid-protests/
In response to the ongoing protests across the country, the Federal Bureau of Prisons has ordered prisoners confined to their cells and stripped them of outside communications.
The nationwide lockdown went into effect on Monday at 4 p.m. out of an abundance of caution, a BOP spokesperson wrote in an email to The Appeal. In light of extensive protest activity occurring around the country, the BOP
is implementing an additional, temporary security measure to ensure the good order and security of our institutions, as well as ensure the safety of staff and inmates, the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson said that the move is precautionary and not in reaction to a significant event occurring in a BOP facility. The agency did not respond to a question about whether prisoners in BOP facilities took any actions related to the protests over police brutality in the wake of the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police.
A BOP staff member, who asked not to be identified because they feared retaliation, said that the systems roughly 165,600 prisoners are confined to their cells or units 24 hours a day and do not get privileges such as phone, computers, and showers under this lockdown. This contrasts with the modified lockdown BOP implemented in March because of coronavirus. During that lockdown, prisoners were still permitted those privileges and some movement.