(NewsNation) — A surprise inspection at the Tallahassee, Florida, federal prison that houses Ghislane Maxwell found unsafe conditions, including serious issues with food safety.
A report from the Office of the Inspector General detailed the findings, which are part of a program that includes surprise inspections of federal correctional facilities.
The inspection of FCI Tallahassee found serious problems with food safety, including observations that the prison was serving moldy bread and had vegetables rotting inside a refrigerator. The OIG also found unsafe conditions in food storage areas, including “evidence of rodent droppings and rodents having chewed through boxes of food, as well as bags of cereal with insects in them and warped food containers.”
The OIG found infrastructure problems inside the women’s facility as well, including flooded showers, inoperable toilets and leaking roofs. In some areas, prisoners were using feminine hygiene products to absorb water from leaking windows.
Other unsafe conditions in the prison included evidence of fire damage to an electrical outlet, a sink coming off a wall, a black substance on walls and ceilings, worn bedding, rusted storage lockers and unsecured supply closets.
While the OIG did not uncover evidence of widespread sexual abuse at the prison, the office documented other safety concerns, including a shortage of correctional officers, weaknesses with search procedures and limited use of security cameras. Inmates also reported rules being enforced inconsistently and a belief that staff members retaliated against those who reported misconduct.
The inspector also reported that staff shortages were affecting health care in the prison, noting that they saw a provider who didn’t ask required questions while screening an inmate and the same provider did not tell the inmate how to access health care in the prison.
The OIG did not issue specific recommendations to correct the problems, but said in the report it would continue monitoring the facility as the Board of Prisons worked to correct the problems discovered by the inspection.