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Detention facility known for poor conditions

Complaints cite violence, major staffing shortages

By: Jonathan Limehouse
USA Today

..... Luigi Mangione, charged in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, is being housed inside the same New York detention center where hip-hop mogul Sean :Diddy" Combs awaits trial for federal sex trafficking and racketeering charges.
..... The Metropolitan Detention Centering Brooklyn is where Mangione, 26, was taken after being extradited to New York. he was previously incarcerated in a Pennsylvania state prison on firearm offenses and charges related to the fake ID he showed law enforcement when they detained him at a McDonald;s in Altoona earlier this month. [12/2024]
.....Now in New York, Mangione is facing federal charges related to Thompson's murder, as well as state charges in connection to the December 4 [2024] shooting in midtown Manhattan.
..... Meanwhile, Combs, form 2008 to 2024, is accused of having "led a criminal ent4erprise that existed to facilitate his abuse exploitation of women, to pretext his reputation, and to conceal his conduct," the Justice Department has said.
..... "As part of that criminal enterprise. Combs, along with other members and associates of the enterprise, committed crimes including sex trafficking, forced labor, kidnapping, arson, bribery, and obstruction of justice," the U.S. Attorney's Office said.
..... Manginone and Combs are housed at the Metropolitan Detention Center because they face federal charges in New York City, and it is the only federal jail in the city. the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a Department of Justice division, operates the facility.
..... It is primarily used for post-arrest detention for people awaiting trial in federal courts in Manhattan or Brooklyn, and it has about 1,121 total inmates, according to the Federal bureau of Prisons.
..... There are also outdoor recreation facilities, a medical unit with examination rooms and a dental suite, Fox News reported. a separate wing is available to inmates for educational programs and the jail's library, the outlet added.
..... The Metropolitan Detention Center, which was opened in the early 1990s, has been criticized for its harsh conditions, even to the point that judges have refused to send individuals there.
..... Detainees have previously complained about constant violence, deplorable conditions, severe staffing shortages and the frequent smuggling of drugs and other contraband, the Associated Press reported in September. [2024]
..... In January, [2024] Judge Jesse Furman of the Federal District Court in Manhattan declined to send a man who pleaded guilty in a drug case there because of the conditions, BBC News reported.
..... District Judge Gary R. Brown of the Eastern District of New York wrote that the detention center had "dangerous, barbaric conditions" in a September [2024] sentencing opinion.
..... "We also take seriously addressing the staffing and other challenges at MDC Brooklyn,: the Federal Bureau of Prisons said in a statement previously obtained by the Associated Press.
..... The jail's agency team is trying to fix several problems, including by increasing permanent correctional and medical staff, taking care of more than 700 backlogged maintenance request and abiding by judges; concerns, the outlet reported.

Combs sought release

..... Last month, [11/2024] Combs requested to be realest from the Metropolitan Detention Center due to conditions in the facility making it "impossible" for him to prepare for trial.
..... Combs' attorneys claimed that he does not have access to a "compliant" laptop they supplied a month ago so he can review "discovery that is critical to his defense and trial preparation." The lawyers also state that frequent sweeps and lock-downs at the jail have prevented Combs form meeting with them.
..... "Even assuming Mr. combs obtains a laptop and counsel is able to share critical discovery with him and visit him at the MDC every day, uninterrupted, it will be impossible for Mr. Combs to review this incredible volume of evidence under the present conditions," his attorneys wrote in the request.
..... This request was ultimate denied in late November [2024] and Combs is now expected to remain in jail as he awaits trial next year, [2025] multiple media outlets reported

Other big names

..... Before Combs and Mangions, other high-profile individuals were housed at the jail as they awaited trial, including singer R. Kelly, rapper Ja Rule, "Pharma Bro" Martin Shkreli and cryptocurency mogul Sam Bankman-Fried, according to CBS News and NBC News.
..... Ghislaine Maxwell, a British former socialite who was convicted of child sex trafficking after being arrested in connection with deceased financier and convicted sex offender Jeffery Epstein, was also housed a the jail.
..... Some of those high-profile figures stayed at the detention center after the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan closed in 2021, according to the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General. The facility, where Epstein died by suicide in his cell in 2019, closed due to inhumane conditions. when OIG st6aff visited the jail in Manhattan in March 2022, the noticed damage to cells, office spaces, flooring, and ceiling; and malfunctioning equipment that floods the surround area."

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