Closure Implementation & Inmate Transfers

BUREAU OF PRISONS — FACILITY CLOSURE Facility: Metropolitan Correctional Center (MCC), New York Address: 150 Park Row, New York, NY 10007 Closure Date: Effective 2021 Announcement: March 2021 CLOSURE ANNOUNCEMENT: The Bureau of Prisons announced the closure of the Metropolitan Correctional Center, the federal detention facility in lower Manhattan where Jeffrey Epstein died in August 2019. REASONS FOR CLOSURE: The BOP cited multiple factors: - Deteriorating physical infrastructure - Persistent maintenance and safety issues - Inadequate HVAC systems resulting in extreme temperatures - Electrical and plumbing failures - Rodent and insect infestations - Inability to meet basic standards for humane confinement FACILITY HISTORY: MCC was opened in 1975 as a pretrial detention facility: - Designed to house approximately 449 inmates - Regularly housed 700+ inmates before closure - Housed numerous high-profile defendants over its history - Had been the subject of complaints about conditions for decades CONNECTION TO EPSTEIN CASE: The closure came less than two years after Epstein's death at the facility: - The circumstances of Epstein's death exposed systemic failures - Congressional hearings highlighted staffing and infrastructure crises - The DOJ Inspector General documented pervasive problems - Public attention on the facility accelerated closure discussions INMATE TRANSFERS: Following the closure announcement: - Inmates were transferred to MDC Brooklyn and other federal facilities - Federal pretrial detention in Manhattan was shifted to other locations - The closure reduced federal detention capacity in New York City FUTURE OF THE BUILDING: The future use of the MCC building at 150 Park Row remains under discussion. The government-owned building sits in a prime lower Manhattan location. Source: Bureau of Prisons / DOJ Available at: https://www.bop.gov/