Suicide Prevention Protocols & Compliance

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT RELEASE FEDERAL BUREAU OF PRISONS MCC OPERATIONAL POLICIES AND PROCEDURES METROPOLITAN CORRECTIONAL CENTER, NEW YORK This document set comprises records obtained through Freedom of Information Act requests submitted to the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) regarding operational policies, procedures, and protocols at the Metropolitan Correctional Center (MCC) in New York City. These records are relevant to the detention and death of Jeffrey Edward Epstein, who was housed at MCC from July 6, 2019, until his death on August 10, 2019. FACILITY OVERVIEW: The Metropolitan Correctional Center, located at 150 Park Row in Lower Manhattan, New York, was a federal detention facility operated by the Bureau of Prisons within the Department of Justice. MCC primarily housed pretrial detainees awaiting federal court proceedings in the Southern District of New York. The facility had a rated capacity and, at the time of Epstein's detention, was operating under severe staffing shortages that affected its ability to comply with BOP policies and procedures. SUICIDE PREVENTION PROTOCOLS: The FOIA release included BOP Program Statement 5324.08, titled Suicide Prevention Program, which established mandatory procedures for the identification, monitoring, and management of inmates at risk of self-harm. Under these procedures, inmates identified as suicide risks were to be placed on continuous watch with constant one-on-one observation by trained staff. The policy required that inmates on suicide watch be housed in a designated suicide-resistant cell with no access to items that could be used for self-harm. The records revealed that Jeffrey Epstein was placed on suicide watch following the July 23, 2019, incident in which he was found with injuries to his neck. He was removed from suicide watch after approximately six days, a decision that was subsequently scrutinized by the DOJ Inspector General and Congress. The FOIA materials included internal memoranda regarding the decision to remove Epstein from suicide watch, though portions of these documents were redacted under FOIA Exemption 5 (deliberative process privilege) and Exemption 7 (law enforcement records). STAFFING AND OPERATIONAL FAILURES: The released documents revealed chronic understaffing at MCC, with correctional officers frequently required to work mandatory overtime shifts of sixteen or more hours. On the night of August 9-10, 2019, the two officers assigned to Epstein's housing unit, Tova Noel and Michael Thomas, were working overtime shifts. Both officers were later charged with conspiracy and falsifying records for failing to conduct required thirty-minute rounds and for fabricating log entries to indicate that rounds had been performed. Their case, United States v. Noel and Thomas, was resolved through a deferred prosecution agreement. The FOIA release also documented physical infrastructure deficiencies at MCC, including inoperable security cameras in the area near Epstein's cell, which prevented the collection of video evidence regarding the events of August 9-10, 2019. Source: Federal Bureau of Prisons FOIA Release Facility: Metropolitan Correctional Center, New York