Thread by @JewhadiTM

D.C. jail treatment of Capitol riot defendants draws bipartisan outrage justthenews.com/government/loc… via @JustTheNews

“A short drive from the U.S. Capitol, 1,500 inmates are stuck in their jail cells 22 hours a day.

Until last month it was 23, and they were also barred from going outside.



A smaller group of inmates may have it even worse: those awaiting trial for alleged crimes in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.

They've been placed in "restrictive housing," a maximum-security designation.

The Jan. 6 defendants are being held in pretrial detention on charges ranging from knowingly entering or remaining in restricted grounds without authority to conspiracy, assault and obstruction of an official proceeding.

Asked about Jan. 6 defendants specifically, Rep. James Comer's office provided a statement Friday night.

“Reports that January 6 defendants, who have been charged but not yet convicted of a crime, [are] receiving even harsher treatment is equally appalling," he said.

Just the News could not find a definition of "restrictive housing" except for a DOC policy document last reviewed in August 2019 that calls it "single occupancy," with no other restrictions listed.

It's reserved for inmates who are "sexual predators," engage in "assaultive behavior," are "likely to be exploited or victimized by others," or have any "other documented special need."

Marty Tankleff and fellow lawyer Steve Metcalf, told Just the News their Jan. 6 clients had been placed in two forms of 23-hour solitary confinement.

One is "the box," where inmates are sent for disciplinary infractions.

They characterized the other, "administrative segregation," as non-punitive in name only. Tankleff said the clients weren't given notice or the opportunity to challenge the designation, which is unusual.

For non-contact visits with clients, lawyers aren't allowed to bring phones or computers, he added, which makes it nearly impossible for Jan. 6 defendants to see evidence against them, namely "recordings from thousands of people's cell phones."

Tankleff said he has put evidence on a laptop disconnected from the internet to show clients in other jails with no problem. "Your ability to participate in your own defense" is not available to these clients, which is an obvious ground for appeal, he added.

The design of D.C. inmate facilities also makes confidentiality functionally impossible, according to Tankleff. "There isn't even a solid wall" in the space where attorneys meet with clients, he explained.

It's highly suspicious why the defendants arrested elsewhere have to be sent to D.C. when all their hearings are virtual by default, he said: "What was the purpose of transferring them?"

Metcalf said it's the first time in his career he's seen this mass exodus of defendants to another jurisdiction. "It was a well-thought out strategic plan" to get them to D.C. and put in the same space, where they can be "mic'd in a cage."