How Does Inmate Placement Affect the Family Structure?

By D.C. Witness Staff - August 20, 2019
Court | Featured | Homicides | Suspects |

With a federal policy that can place convicted felons from Washington, DC across the country, several inmates from Washington, DC live up to two thousand miles away from everything they’ve ever known. 

So, how does this affect them? 

“The longer someone is out of the life of the family, the more likely they are to lose their place in the family,” said  Carol Fennelly, founder of Hope House DC. Hope House DC is an organization that serves the needs of inmates who have been taken to prisons far from the District. The organization specifically focuses on decreasing recidivism and keeping incarcerated men connected to the community.

According to Fennelly, rehabilitation after imprisonment relies heavily on a connection to family and loved ones and access to treatment and services.  Both of these are affected by distance from home during imprisonment. 

“Equally important is how does [distance] impact the kids? Separation from their fathers dramatically affects the children as well, as mothers have to ‘become everything,’” Fennelly said.   

According to the D.C. Witness database, which began in 2015, 93 percent of convicted defendants involved in murder cases are men. 

Tangible improvements, such as increased employment rates and reduced substance abuse also occur when inmates can maintain family ties while they serve time, leading to a lower likelihood of being sent back to prison. And much of this ability relies on the U.S. Government.   

The U.S. Department of Justice regulates inmates’ placement. According to the Inmate Security Designation and Custody Classification statement, the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) has deemed 500 miles from D.C. to be a “reasonable” distance for prisoners to be placed. 

As of July 5, there are 142 D.C. inmates serving sentences for murder who have been arrested since 2015. The interactive graph below indicates which states they are being held in:

Adhering to the guidelines, 69 percent of inmates are placed within the 500 mile radius at the following prisons:

• Beckley FCI in West Virginia (304 miles) – 15 inmates
• Hazelton FCI in West Virginia (189 miles) – 15 inmates
• Rivers CI in North Carolina (210 miles) – 12 inmates 
• Hazelton USP in West Virginia (189 miles) – 8 inmates
• Allenwood USP in Pennsylvania (193 miles) – 7 inmates
• Cumberland FCI in Maryland (137 miles) – 7 inmates
• Big Sandy USP in Kentucky (419 miles) – 6 inmates
• McDowell FCI in West Virginia (357 miles) – 5 inmates
• Gilmer FCI in West Virginia (74 miles) – 4 inmates
• Lee USP in Virginia (432 miles) – 4 inmates                                                   
• Petersburg Medium FCI in Virginia (130 miles) – 3 inmates
• Canaan USP in Pennsylvania (264 miles) – 2 inmates
• Lewisburg USP in Pennsylvania (183 miles) – 2 inmates
• Butner Low FCI in North Carolina (304 miles) – 1 inmate
• Butner Medium FCI in North Carolina (304 miles) – 1 inmate
• Danbury FCI in Connecticut (291 miles) – 1 inmate
• Fort Dix FCI in New Jersey (167 miles) – 1 inmate 
• Moshannon Valley CI (209 miles) – 1 inmate
• Philadelphia FDC in Pennsylvania (140  miles) – 1 inmate
• Schuylkill FCI (175 miles) – 1 inmate

The other 31 percent are placed outside of the 500 mile radius at the following prisons:

• Atwater USP in California (2,828 miles) – 4 inmates
• Berlin FCI in New Hampshire (602 miles) – 4 inmates
• Coleman II USP in Nebraska (834 miles) – 4 inmates
• Beaumont USP in Texas (1,327 miles) – 3 inmates
• Edgefield FCI in South Carolina (542 miles) – 3 inmates
• McCreary USP in Kentucky (558 miles) – 3 inmates
• Pollock USP in Louisiana (1,163 miles) – 3 inmates
• Carswell FMC in Texas (1,360 miles) – 2 inmates
• Marion USP in Illinois (805 miles) – 2 inmates
• Thomson AUSP in California (843 miles) – 2 inmates
• Victorville I Medium FCI in California (2,586 miles) – 2 inmates
• Victorville USP in California (2,586) – 2 inmate
• Atlanta USP in Georgia (642 miles) – 1 inmate 
• Florence High USP in Colorado (1,684 miles) – 1 inmate
• Fort Worth FMC in Texas (1,360 miles) – 1 inmate
• Pekin FCI in Illinois (793 miles) – 1 inmate
• Springfield MCFP in Missouri (1,034 miles) – 1 inmate
• Talladega FCI in Alabama (730 miles) – 1 inmate
• Tuscon USP in Arizona (2,284 miles) – 1 inmate
• Waseca FCI in Minnesota (1,102 miles) – 1 inmate
• Yazoo City Medium FCI in Mississippi (1,031 miles) – 1 inmate

D.C. Witness previously reported that although the BOP said it attempts to abide by the 500-mile guideline, it’s not unusual for a convict to be sent further away for various factors, including: security, population, programming and medical needs.

In 2010, the director of the Justice Policy Center told the House of Representatives Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee that two-thirds of family members reported distance as presenting an obstacle for their ability to visit an inmate in prison, specifically noting lack of transportation. The director said contact with family members substantially increases an inmate’s chance of rehabilitation by “giving exiting prisoners a greater stake in conformity upon release.” 

Still, DC prisoners’ separation from home continues. 

In comparison to last year, the number of inmates serving sentences in prisons further than 500 miles from DC has more than doubled. In August of 2018, 21 DC inmates were placed outside of the radius. As of July of 2019, 43 inmates are being held at what the BOP considers an unreasonable distance from their homes, families, and loved ones. 

Regina Woolridge reported on and wrote this article.