Letter to Director Mark S. Inch, Federal Bureau of Prisons - Answers About Walk Offs at Three Rivers

Letter

Dear Director Inch:

Today I write to you about the safety and security of the people of Three Rivers, Texas, which is located in my congressional district. My constituents and I are aware of several incidents occurring last year where inmates walked off from the minimum-security portion of the facilities in Three Rivers, known as the Satellite PrisonCamp (SPC). At the time we contacted your offices, we were informed that investigations were ongoing, and processes were being put into place to reduce our community's exposure to escaped inmates. I write now, as sufficient time has elapsed for those policies to be fine-tuned and implemented.

My concern stems from the repeated and ongoing nature of this problem, and I believe it is related to staffing levels. Not only is the prison understaffed, but hiring in recent history has not reached the levels of staff that you are allocated to hire. We know the officers who serve at the SPC in Three Rivers, they are friends and neighbors. These highly trained professionals have repeatedly asked for additional officers to be assigned to the prison. This is not just for their own safety, but for the safety of the townsfolk and surrounding area.

With this in mind, I would request responses to the following questions.

Please explain the plan to stop these prison walk offs, and how you intend to execute the plan. Include in your response any reference documents, charts, pictures or graphs which are supporting data.
How many officers are you able to hire under your budgeted levels? How many are currently on staff? Please include in your response citation to the source of such information.
How many new positions are needed from a budget perspective to bring the prison into a more safe and secure status? Please include in your response any studies, data, or opinion information on appropriate staffing levels for a facility of this type.

Sincerely,

Source