The Justice Department’s Inspector General and Bureau of Prisons are probing fresh allegations that federal prison employees abused Muslim inmates, according to a new department report.
The report, which is required by the USA PATRIOT Act, disclosed several new complaints by Muslim inmates who allege they faced discrimination from BOP employees.
The Inspector General reportedly referred five new complaints to the bureau, including that a prison chaplain tried to deny Muslims access to the prison’s religious facilities, that prison staff told others to stop helping Islamic inmates, and that an employee sprayed a Muslim inmate with chemicals while he was “physically and mentally tortured, provided meals containing pork products contrary to his religious diet and placed in the [special housing unit] for no reason.”
The report does not detail the locations or individuals involved in the allegations.
The IG’s office is also investigating two BOP employees who allegedly said they hated a Muslim inmate because he is Arab and insulted his religion. The inmate also said they told the other inmates to assault him and prevented him from receiving immediate medical treatment after the attack.
Several closed cases have ended in sanctions against BOP agents, according to the report. In one case, a bureau employee resigned and another received a written admonishment after sending a racially inflammatory email. Another BOP officer retired after throwing an prisoner’s Quran into the garbage and later lying about his actions.
Several other investigations of alleged discrimination involving Muslim inmates were closed by either the BOP or IG’s office after the agencies couldn’t gather enough evidence to substantiate the prisoner’s claims.
