Image: Department of Justice (D.O.J.)
WASHINGTON, D.C. (WOLO)– The Justice Department has announced that conditions at Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center violates the constitution, according to a press release.
The DOJ announced on Wednesday, Jan. 15, that its findings on the jail found that the detention center violate the 8th and 14th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution.
The report details how the department found that the jail fails to provide reasonable safety and to protect incarcerated people from serious harm and death by physical violence from other incarcerated people, including assaults with weapons, assaults by multiple people on single victims and sexual assaults.
Alvin S. Glenn currently houses around 965 inmates.
“Incarceration in our nation’s jails should not expose a person to severe and pervasive violence like that in the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center. Most people in the jail have not been convicted of any crime — they are awaiting hearings or trial dates. They have a right to be free of violence, threats and sexual assault. The Jail has a constitutional duty to protect people in its care from the horrific violations we uncovered here. We hope Richland County and the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center will respond to our findings by working with the Justice Department to implement much-needed reforms,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.
The report touches on the systemic problems that have continued for years at the jail, like severe violence, security lapse, ongoing failure to protect incarcerated people and more, as outlines in the report.
According to the DOJ, there were at least 60 stabbings at the jail in 2023.
“The conditions inside the Richland County jail are a matter of life and death. Individuals accused of crimes in Richland County should not face a death sentence before they ever see a court room. By addressing the remedial measures outlined in our findings, we believe this can change. We hope to work with Richland County and the detention center to make it a safer place for both detainees and staff,” said U.S. Attorney Adair F. Boroughs for the District of South Carolina.
The department conducted its investigation of the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center under the Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act (CRIPA), which authorizes the Attorney General to file a lawsuit in federal court seeking court-ordered remedies to eliminate a pattern or practice of unlawful conduct.
The Civil Rights Division’s Special Litigation Section conducted this investigation jointly with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Carolina.
The findings announced on Wednesday, Jan. 15, are the result of the department’s civil investigation and are separate from any criminal cases brought by the Justice Department.
For more information about the Civil Rights Division and its Special Litigation Section, please visit www.justice.gov/crt/special-litigation-section.
You can also report civil rights violations by completing the complaint form available at civilrights.justice.gov/.
To provide information related to the department’s investigation of the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center, please call 1-888-473-3201 or email the department at Community.Glenn@usdoj.gov.
Categories: Local News, News
Tags: South Carolina