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42m ago

DOJ Opens Civil Rights Probe Into D.C. Jail Conditions

The inquiry will determine whether the corrections agency has a pattern of violating inmates’ constitutional rights going back to January 2021.

WASHINGTON, US- SEPTEMBER 24: A cellblock at the D.C. Jail is seen on on September 24, 2024 in Washington, D.C. The Twinning Project and the DC Department of Corrections holds a eight week program to reach incarcerated individuals at the Central Detention Facility (CDF) and Correctional Treatment Facility (CTF), teaching critical life skills and leadership through soccer. (Michael A. McCoy/For The Washington Post via Getty Images)
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Overview

  • The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division notified Mayor Muriel Bowser on Monday that it will open a formal investigation of the District of Columbia Department of Corrections.
  • The probe will examine claims of inadequate medical care, unsafe and unsanitary living conditions, poor-quality meals and excessive force against people held in D.C. facilities.
  • A recent lawsuit filed on Oct. 15 by six current and former detainees alleges repeated meals containing mice and cockroaches and includes photos provided to news outlets.
  • The DOJ cited a May 2025 audit by the Office of the District of Columbia Auditor that documented understaffing, mold, vermin and a ‘‘desperate need’’ for a new facility, a report DCDOC has disputed.
  • The investigation could lead the department to find a pattern or practice of constitutional violations and to pursue remedies that affect detainees’ care and the long-delayed plan to replace the aging 1976 jail.