New Report on Jail Confirms Unsafe Conditions and Rising Deaths, Calls for Immediate Action

May 28, 2025 - In partnership with the D.C. Auditor, CCE has released a new report, Urgent Need for New D.C. Jail, that details dangerous and deteriorating conditions at the D.C. Jail. This audit offers the most comprehensive review to date of facility operations, documenting a crisis marked by rising deaths, structural decay, staff shortages, and inadequate medical and behavioral health care. This report collected data for and covers an “audit period” of July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024 and makes a series of Findings and Recommendations on eleven different topics: 1) Conditions of Jail Facilities, 2) Staffing and Supervision, 3) Deaths in Custody, 4) Violence and Use of Force, 5) Healthcare, 6) Visitation and Other Resident Communication Opportunities, 7) Restrictive Housing, 8) The Grievance Process, 9) Food, 10) Programming, and, 11) Legal Access.

Click here to read the full report, Urgent Need for New D.C. Jail.

Click here to read an Executive Summary.

“For anyone who has been recently incarcerated in D.C. or who knows someone who has been, nothing in this audit will be surprising,” said Misty Thomas Zaleski, CCE's Executive Director. “Most of these problems have been chronic and reported in pieces, but today’s report reflects a comprehensive look at the failures in D.C.’s corrections system, and how to begin fixing them.”

In addressing the audit's methodology that included agency data and records, legal filings, interviews, survey analysis, and best practice research, CCE Policy Director Tracy Velázquez noted that: "Given the public’s lack of access to correctional facilities and those incarcerated in them, we were committed to ensuring the concerns of those in the jail had their voices heard and amplified in this audit.”

Our new report also comes out at a critical juncture for the District's investments in its public safety infrastructure and residents. “We are deeply concerned that the Mayor’s proposed FY2026 capital budget would gut the District’s investment for a new jail facility.  We hope that after reading our report and understanding the depth of this crisis, the Mayor and Council will prioritize building a publicly-owned and locally-controlled new jail well before 2035.” Thomas Zaleski added. “Our government’s power to take away people’s liberty also comes with the duty to appropriately and safely house the human beings who live there, to respect their humanity, and to care for them in ways that will help them succeed upon reentry. This is not possible in the current jail.”

Key findings from the audit year include:

• Conditions of Jail Facilities. Over 1,595 emergency maintenance issues were recorded, including broken locks, leaking plumbing, mold, vermin, and unsafe temperatures.
• Staffing and Supervision. DOC spent $30.9 million on overtime in FY24 (174% of its budget). 40% of resident grievances involved improper staff actions.
• Deaths in Custody. The jail’s mortality rate was three times the national average. Five of the eight deaths were from overdoses. DOC provided minimal transparency to families or the government.
• Violence and Use of Force. At least 790 assaults occurred during the audit period, and staff used force 400 times (more than once per day on average). 85% of incidents took place in the aging CDF facility.
• Healthcare. Narcan was used 148 times in response to overdoses. 571 residents were placed on suicide watch. Behavioral health staffing was severely inadequate.
• Restrictive Housing. 11.1% of residents were held in restrictive housing, twice the national average. Between 186 and 310 residents entered such housing monthly in FY23.
• Food Quality. Meals were reported to be rotten or contaminated, including reports of inedible materials like screws. DOC paid just $6.56 per person per day to its food service provider.

The report warns that construction delays and inadequate funding commitments could leave hundreds of people in the dangerous CDF building indefinitely. 

CCE is grateful for the D.C. Auditor's leadership in shining a light on the correctional system in D.C. In discussing today's new partnership report, D.C. Auditor Kathy Patterson said: “A new jail to replace the aging Correctional Detention Facility has been discussed for more than 20 years and it’s past time to act." Acknowledging the difficult challenge of budgeting for operations and capital, Patterson added, “Elected officials need to make hard choices and set priorities, and life and death issues must be at the top of the list.”

Members of the media are invited to join a virtual briefing on the report findings Friday, May 30th at noon. Register to attend.