Washington, DC: Last month, Federal Judge Royce Lamberth found Quincy Booth, the Director of the Department of Corrections and Wanda Patten, the warden of the DC jail, in contempt of court for not handing over required documents relating to the lack of medical treatment of January 6 prisoner, Christopher Worrell, who suffered a broken wrist while in custody and was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. He applied twice to be freed on medical grounds. Federal marshals conducted a surprise inspection on the Central Detention Facility (CDF) and found large amounts of standing human sewage, many cells that had no running water for days, jail staff members antagonized detainees, and and directed detainees to not cooperate. About 400 inmates awaiting court appearances in federal cases or post-sentencing assignment will be moved to the federal penitentiary in Lewisburg, Pa. However, the move will exclude 40 defendants who face federal charges in the January 6 riot at the US Capitol, who are being held in the Corrections Department’s Central Treatment Facility (CTF) that was reported to be in better form than the main jail.
Update: Christopher Worrell will be transferred out of the DC prison and will be released to home detention.
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Christopher Worrell, a Capitol riot defendant, has been in jail with a broken wrist for four months.
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A federal judge said jail officials violated his civil rights by denying him appropriate medical care.
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The judge referred the case to the DOJ for a civil rights investigation.
A federal judge Wednesday held two Washington, DC, jail officials in civil contempt of court after ruling that they had violated a Capitol riot defendant’s civil rights by denying him access to medical care.
In a hearing about medical delays for Christopher Worrell, a Proud Boys members and riot suspect, US District Judge Royce Lamberth said that DC Department of Corrections officials failed to hand over critical documents that were needed to approve surgery for Worrell’s wrist, which he broke in May while in custody.
“It’s clear to me the civil rights of the defendant were violated by the DC Department of Corrections,” Lamberth said, according to the Fort Myers News-Press. “I don’t know if it’s because he’s a January 6 defendant or not.”
He added: “It’s more than just the inept and bureaucratic shuffling of papers. Does no one care? Does no one follow up?” The Daily Beast reported.
Worrell, who was detained shortly after his March 12 arrest in Florida, is accused of pepper-spraying Capitol Police officers during the insurrection and engaging in violence and disorderly conduct, among other charges.
In the Wednesday hearing, Lamberth also issued a show-cause order and said he was referring the matter to the Department of Justice to investigate whether Worrell’s civil rights were violated, the Fort Myers News-Press reported.
Lamberth did not, however, impose any sanctions or penalties on the two jail officials in question, Warden Wanda Patten and DC Department of Corrections Director Quincy Booth.
Read full article here…
Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/dc-jail-inmates-transferred/2021/11/02/b5255388-3be8-11ec-bfad-8283439871ec_story.html
