Bureau of Prisons Is Closing Troubled, Violent Detention Unit in Illinois

WASHINGTON — The Bureau of Prisons is shuttering a troubled special detention unit in Illinois that has been plagued by inmate deaths, suicides and the reported sexual harassment of guards.

On Tuesday morning, staff at the special management unit in the Thomson federal penitentiary in the rural northwest part of the state were told that the 350 prisoners under their supervision — transferred to the unit after committing disciplinary infractions in facilities around the country — would be transferred to other prisons.

Bureau officials “recently identified significant concerns with respect to institutional culture and compliance with B.O.P. policies” at the high-security facility, which houses about 800 inmates, Randilee Giamusso, a bureau spokeswoman, wrote in an email.

Glenn Thrush reports more on the closure with the New York Times.