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Extracted Text (OCR)
Inmates in the SHU are securely separated from general population inmates and are kept locked in their cell
when in their assigned tier within the SHU. As discussed in greater detail in Chapter 4, witnesses told the
OIG that SHU inmates are locked in their cells for approximately 23 hours a day. BOP policy provides that,
weather and resources permitting, SHU inmates will have the opportunity to exercise outside their quarters
5 hours per calendar week. Under federal regulations and BOP policy, SHU inmates ordinarily have the
opportunity to shower at least 3 times a week, typically on different days in 1-hour periods. SHU inmates
may also be escorted from their cells by MCC New York staff for visits, including legal visits, court
appearances, medical and psychological attention. The MCC New York SHU Post Orders require that all
visitors to the SHU be documented in a visitor log, and that any inmate visiting the SHU, such as inmates on
work details, be searched visually and with a hand-held metal detector, without exception. The MCC
New York SHU Post Orders also require that food carts be searched inside and out before being brought
into a SHU cellblock and that all meals be delivered to each inmate's cell through the food slot in the
inmate's locked cell door.
BOP policy provides that inmates housed in the SHU for 30 continuous calendar days are to be examined
and interviewed by a mental health staff member to assess the inmate's adjustment and the threat
presented to self or others.
BOP policy also requires that all staff assigned to the SHU participate in quarterly training on, among other
things, orderly supervision, suicide prevention, and security procedures relating to the unit. When a staff
member is assigned to the SHU at the last-minute and has not completed the quarterly training, the staff
member must be advised of the general requirements of a SHU post and be permitted to ask questions
about the duties.
2. Inmate Accountability"
a. Counts
Inmate counts serve an important security function, as they enable COs to ensure that all inmates are
accounted for and present at the appropriate location within the facility. BOP policy requires that each
institution “conduct, at a minimum, five official inmate counts during every 24-hour period,” and that on
“weekends and holidays an additional count will be conducted at 10:00 a.m.” At least 1 count a day during
the week and 2 counts a day on weekends and holidays must be “stand-up counts,” which means that
inmates are required to stand when they are counted. MCC New York SHU Post Orders designate that
counts must occur at 12 a.m., 3.a.m.,5a.m., 4 p.m., and that stand-up counts are to be conducted at 10 p.m.
daily and also at 10 a.m. on weekends and federal holidays.
The BOP requires that each count be conducted by at least two officers, one of whom will count the inmates
while the other observes the unit for any unauthorized movement from the end of the tier. This
requirement is also set out in the MCC New York SHU Post Orders. The two officers will then switch roles
and compare the count numbers. If the totals do not match, then the officers must conduct another count
in the same manner. When conducting the count, officers are required to observe each inmate's body and
not rely solely on movement or sound. Officers conducting the count relay the count verbally to the Control
This section describes inmate accountability measures that are most relevant to this investigation and review. The
BOP utilizes a variety of other security and inmate accountability tools in addition to those discussed in this section,
which are described in BOP Program Statement 5500.14, Correctional Services Procedures Manual.
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