NEW: Investigative reporter @SethFW sued the US Marshals Service, an arm of the Department of Justice—and obtained new documents that expose disturbing details about people who died while in Marshals custody. (Thread) bit.ly/2PjMqIW
@SethFW 2/ The Marshals’ detention system holds more people than ICE and has an *even higher* death rate, our investigation found. bit.ly/2PjMqIW
@SethFW 3/ Data obtained through the lawsuit shows that 158 people died while in Marshals detention between June 2016 and June 2019, and hundreds more died in the preceding five years. bit.ly/2PjMqIW
@SethFW 4/ A team of independent doctors examined the documents obtained by @SethFW—and identified cases where failures in medical care and suicide prevention are implicated in detainee deaths. bit.ly/2PjMqIW
@SethFW 5/ US Marshals have a troubled history: They were once deployed to hunt fugitive slaves and participated in the incident at Wounded Knee. But they were also the men who enforced desegregation of schools and who protected doctors at abortion clinics amid a spate of attacks.
@SethFW 6/ In recent decades, one part of the agency’s purview has grown dramatically: federal pretrial detention. The agency houses its detainees in about 1,100 jails and private facilities around the country. bit.ly/2PjMqIW
@SethFW 7/ Inmate numbers are nearing historic levels in part because of Trump's aggressive immigration policies. About two-thirds of all prosecutions between October 2018 and April 2019 were related to immigration crimes. bit.ly/2PjMqIW
@SethFW 8/ One of the immigrants held in Marshals custody was Isac Garcia-Wislar. While in custody, he experienced back and shoulder pain and shortness of breath. Officials refused to send Isac to the hospital until after he collapsed. He died a few days later.
@SethFW 9/ There’s no indication that the Marshals ever seriously investigated Isac’s death. About a year after he died, a Marshals deputy arrived to perform a routine annual inspection and found the jail in full compliance with its detention standards, including medical care.
@SethFW 10/ In another case, the Marshals knew Kristian Culver was suicidal and bipolar. A jail clinician said he shouldn't be left alone. But the jail confined him to a single-person cell. He killed himself in May 2016.
@SethFW 11/ In the days after he died, a Marshals deputy wrote up a summary of events surrounding his death and concluded that “none of Culver’s suspect actions and statements were reported [to] the Marshals Service.”
@SethFW 12/ Here's yet another case: After Jose González Rodríguez was detained, he appeared to have a heart attack or seizure. A guard gave him ibuprofen. He died upon arrival at a hospital.
Eight months after his death, the Marshals annual inspection found the jail in full compliance.
Eight months after his death, the Marshals annual inspection found the jail in full compliance.
@SethFW 13/ Of the 259 annual inspections we analyzed, at least 10 indicate potential medical understaffing; 45 show extraordinary numbers of prisoner assaults; and at least 11 show noncompliance with mandated rape-prevention policies. bit.ly/2PjMqIW
@SethFW 14/ Listen to @SethFW describe his investigation on NPR’s @LatinoUSA, released in conjunction with the @MoJoPodcast: bit.ly/2PcGpxL
@SethFW @LatinoUSA @MoJoPodcast 15/15 Read the full investigation in partnership with Type Investigations here or in the November/December 2019 print issue of Mother Jones, on newsstands today. bit.ly/2PjMqIW
