DR. RAMIREZ OPENING
JJake BestJul 26, 2022 at 2:30 pm5min
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00:00Speaker 1
Good morning. It is my professional and personal honor to participate in this hearing. I'm here today seeking accountability for the appalling situation at United States Penitentiary, Atlanta, once the flagship of the BOP. It is now a penitentiary in name only. As the chief psychologist at USP Atlanta from 2018 to 2021. I repeatedly reported ongoing, uncorrected, gross mismanagement of suicide prevention practices, staff misconduct, and general operational deficiencies. Unfortunately, the only response I received was unlawful retaliation. I was involuntarily transferred to an FCI in Seagoville, Texas. Though I'm speaking today in my personal capacity, I have been an employee of the Federal Bureau of Prisons for 15 years. For the first 11 I was assigned to various psychology departments at high or maximum security male institutions. From 2018-I'm sorry. From 2015 to 2018. I was a psychologist with a supervisory role in the supermax, also known as the ADX. The facility in Florence, Colorado, the most secure institution in the country. In 2018, I accepted the site chief psychologist position at USP Atlanta, where my mission was to turn around a deficient failing psychology department. I was responsible for integrating standardized procedures on inmate mental health issues, the provision of sound clinical care to the inmate population, developing and implementing mental health treatment and best practices, and tracking and analyzing program adherence. Like most BOP employees, I am first and foremost a federal law enforcement officer. In addition to providing mental health care, I'm responsible for ensuring the safety and security of the community, the staff and the inmate population. That includes pat downs, searches and other security-related duties. Upon my arrival, and for the duration of my time at USP Atlanta, the facility was falling apart. elevators were inoperable for months at a time, the walls were infested with mold. Whenever it rained, the sewer would back up and overflow onto the recreation yard, sometimes leaving a foot of human waste behind. Security wise, there was little to speak of. Given the volume and flagrante of the contraband, it was obvious that cell searches were not being properly conducted, if at all. For instance, I confiscated a microwave that I found while searching an inmate cell. Two days later, I found the same microwave in another cell-it was the same serial number. Of course, my assignment and primary concern was the inmate mental health and suicide prevention. In the roughly four years, eight inmates at USP Atlanta died by suicide, two prior to my arrival and six during my tenure. To put this into perspective, federal prisons typically see between one and three suicides over a five year period. Any loss of life is tragic and unacceptable, which is why it is particularly devastating to see such disregard for human life at USP Atlanta. BOP policy requires that a Suicide Reconstruction Team is sent to investigate circumstances of any inmate suicide. The team prepares a report detailing findings and making recommendations to prevent reoccurrences. This report is sent to onsite regional and national offices in the BOP and the institution must provide a written response to any recommendations. While at USP Atlanta I reviewed seven reconstruction reports, each prepared by different teams, and all seven reports feature some same issues. It means suffering from ongoing substance abuse, easy access to drugs, unit rounds, which were required to be done every half hour were routinely skipped for hours at a time.
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03:57Speaker 1
I repeatedly expressed my concerns about other systematic failings to management and nothing was done. Despite desperate need for reform. Any suggestion for change was met with resistance. That's not the Atlanta Way. Some of the examples of the Atlanta way included: an employee yelling threats and obscenities aggressively approaching an executive staff member. Though, I was five months pregnant and terrified,I stepped between the two and push the employee away. I reported the employee and nothing was done. Another time my husband was repeatedly hit by a staffer. He required medical attention and the attacker remained at work. I was warned to stay away from him. In 2020, a program review team found that the staff had broken machines intended to detect traces of drugs. This had been going on for a year. The agency's response was to move 43 mid level supervisors across the countries. It was during the midst of the COVID pandemic. Our families had set down roots and we had done nothing wrong. The agency refused to give us responses. Today I'm asking that you help this agency. Staff it at 100%. Provide mid-level management with tools to actually make changes. We have lots of responsibility and yet we have little authority. When there is discipline, make it fair and swift. I thank you for your time.
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