too many scenarios here. i, personally, don't believe epstein is even dead; more like, snuck out to places unknown, with a body of unknown origin. this was too easy.
17
@buskat
So then you have to accuse the state medical examiner and the respected independent pathologist (Michael Baden), plus how ever many assistants they may have used to perform the autopsy of all being liars... I know that's not a hurdle for conspiracy buffs, but I think each person you have to accuse of lying makes it a little less plausible.
5
So we have the money to pay huge sums to lawyers on the case, but low-paid prison guards have to work overtime + then we wonder why they may fall asleep?
Have Mr. Barr and and his multiple 6-figugure staff had to ever work the night through under such conditions?
50
@msf
And white collar criminals can pay millions to lawyers and get the best defense for crimes they committed while poor people end up in prison for crimes they didn't.
Welcome to the American justice system.
5
@msf Barr is the head of the federal prison system. He could have allocated any necessary funding to adequately protect the high profile Epstein.
5
How sad that the overworked, underpaid employees at this critical facility, as well as the lax managerial oversight, were only noticed with considerable public outrage when a wealthy white man committed suicide. One wonders how many poor, socioeconomically disadvantaged inmates died too young prior to this outrage. Even sadder that no one in political power has noticed this double standard.
200
Underpaid??? Have you seen the salary and benefits these guards earn?
6
@Sarid 18 how much do they earn? Why don’t you show the facts then?
16
@Djr This is the truth.
8
What a surprise! Two people, working overtime on the night shift fall asleep. Only paper pushers who think of ‘saving money’ by not hiring people to maintain adequate staffing would be surprised that two overworked individuals would fall asleep in the middle of the night.
The people responsible for the inadequate staffing levels should be held responsible for Mr. Epstein ‘s death. That includes Bill Barr, the head of the Department.
319
@Charlie
Imagine how far a proposal to raise taxes to pay for more prison guards would go.
22
And Congress for continually cutting back funding. As with the VA, SSA, CIS, IRS, among others, when funding is cut deeply, staffing cuts are inevitable and those who remain are expected to fill the gaps. There are simply not enough hours in a day for staff to provide quality and timely services. We get what we pay for.
14
@Steve I agree with you. (1) People across the political spectrum would resist that (2) Those on the left would denounce the prison industrial complex (which I don't disagree with! Point is that it's easy to call for more prison guards one day, and denounce the need for more prison guards the next.)
5
After the release of information regarding high profile Democrats having been involved in the sex scandal with Epstein, Epstein met with his attorney for 12 hours that day. It would be interesting to know what the attorney wry told him of the newly released information and how he reacted. By 6:00 am he was dead.
13
What is the point of all this? Is one of the guards going to say that Trump himself showed up with a squad of Special Forces guys and took out Epstein?
It is entirely plausible that the guards were sleeping. One of them had a day job to go to at 8 am, right? And he had worked it already that day. Here is a major secret. Union guys working the third shift often sleep through part of it.
On the other hand, no cameras in the cell. No cell mate. A brief period of time on the Suicide Watch. Yeas, there are a lot of moving parts here and it needs investigating.
However, the Left is hoping or was hoping that Epstein would take down Trump. Now that Epstein is dead, the Left is hoping that Trump had him killed and that the same can be proved.
It is the Mueller Report Redux.
I am a Democrat. I loathe, literally loathe, Trump. On the other hand, the Wishful Thinking is blatant as are the crocodile tears for the victims.
18
@Lefthalfbach "Here is a major secret. Union guys working the third shift often sleep through part of it."
Here is another secret: When people are exhausted, they may fall asleep even if they aren't in a union.
Demonizing unions is not a particularly useful contribution to this discussion.
24
@veeckasinwreck
sorry- i was not knocking unions. Did not intend to anyway. It was 5 AM. They were tired. There were only two of them. I get it.
1
It's disturbing the AG William Barr didn't recuse himself from acting on the serious breach of duty by several individuals at the metropolitan Correctional Center since he has connections to Kirkland & Ellis, the law firm that was representing Epstein. Evidently Kirkland and Ellis represented Epstein through 2011 while Barr worked there.
Another connection that Barr had with Epstein is that his father, Donald Barr, once hired Epstein to teach at Dalton School in New York.
Barr does not inspire confidence in his ability to approach the situation ethically, or in the best intersts of the public.
148
@Elizabeth Bennett, Facts, facts, facts. This Administration does not believe in facts.
5
The inquisition of this man by the justice system and the media came to its logical conclusion. “Me Too” and other wild eyed self interest groups must be satisfied now. The man was hounded to death.
I wish I could muster some interest in what happened to that monster. Why can't people just be happy that he is gone? Let him go. He's not worth all of this ink.
2
Apparently falsifying official federal records is a crime. Not news to anyone who has been audited by the IRS.
Supposedly two unnamed employees, who are not actual guards but were playing one that night, both feel asleep for the same three hours. Presumably in chairs as couches or beds shouldn’t be available to night shift workers. When my dd was hospitalized, I was given a reclining chair. I don’t think I slept three hours in a row that night. And it was dark in her hospital room. I’m assuming the lights were on in the guard station.
Now suppose you are the head of the BOP. You have concrete proof the guards slept on the job, filed false reports to cover their dereliction of duty, and facilitated the highly embarrassing suicide of your most prominent prisoner. Do you:
1. Protect the identity of the two derelict employees and put them on paid leave? And then Anonymously leak the above facts to reporters? Or do you:
2. Hold the employees accountable by naming them publicaly. placing them on unpaid leave until they are fired and press charges with the authorities? Where’s the perp walk to remind all the other federal employees not to falsify records?
Ten years ago, someone high up in the justice department facilitated Epstein’s sweetheart deal. I doubt it was Acosta, he was just the flunkie who got the credit. Personally, i’d start with a good, long look at Acosta and Dershowitz
We are a country of laws and it is time to remind everyone that no one is above the law.
2
Check their bank accounts in about six months time. Two guards fall asleep while assigned to watch the nation's most high profile inmate? My cynicism is in over-drive. These guys take the fall, draw attention away from those who benefit by Epstein's death, draw attention (rightly) to the horrid working conditions in prisons, and the guards are set for life. A win, win, win.
5
"The buck stops there."
- Bill Barr
4
How is it possible that Barr did not recuse himself from this case due to his family’s ties with Epstein. Also, it sounds like everyone knew but Barr how stretched the workers in the facility are. how come? Why would he condone assignment of such a crafty and notorious criminal to such a facility.
2
The guards may indeed have been sleeping -- and for that reason, they were specifically assigned to this shift -- a double -- and inexperienced at that, so that the planned assassination could go on as planned with low risk of being caught.
7
No security videos of these cells? Are they dependent on guards physically walking by? Wow...this is incredibly lame.
2
How did Epstein know the time when the guards decided to take a nap?
8
This is how I see it a highly connected pedophile dies and the AG falls down hard on everyone involved in his supervision. Mr. Barr where was your indignation after you read the Mueller report?
3
Were the sleepy guards checked for drugs in their systems? Or did investigators conveniently wait until too late to run tests?
2
anyone who is a survivor of suicide, and that is unfortunately too many of us, will know that if someone wants to commit suicide they will find a way eventually to do it. People who work overtime through the night can barely stay awake sometimes. Having worked many all night shifts combined with day shifts I remember the agony of sleep deprivation and the impossibility of keeping my eyes open no matter how hard I tried. These two guards should not be blamed for his death. He took his own life and that is that.
8
@janice Berlin: The known fact that there are indeed many survivors of suicide currently alive demonstrates that it's not true that "if someone wants to commit suicide they will eventually find a way". Many of those who attempt suicide get through their suicidal time and never try again.
It's true that if someone makes an attempt, or talks about it, or shows any other signs of feeling suicidal, this should be taken very seriously. It doesn't mean that there is nothing to be done about it, in fact, it's quite possible that something can be done about it, if attention is paid.
In the case of Epstein, for some reason he had been taken off suicide watch, so although his guards were derelict in their duty, they weren't on suicide watch duty. Even the half hour they were expected to allow between visits would have been enough for Epstein to kill himself. (On the other hand, being overtired is a real thing, but it doesn't justify putting false reports in the official logbook. No excuse for that, although it doesn't relate directly to the suicide.)
2
The NYT would do well to document the frequency of prison suicide in the US. Epstein's is just one of quite a large number, most of which are completely ignored.
8
Guess what, folks? Guard sleeps all the time at night. Who's going to tell on them? Not inmates.
5
The sleeping guards are such a baloney distraction. They could have been wired on caffeine and doing checks religiously all night and Epstein still could have killed himself, because 30-minute checks aren’t frequent enough to prevent suicide. At best they might have found him dead sooner. Forget the guards and save your outrage for the genius who took him off suicide watch and let him have the tools to do it.
10
Either this story is false and Epstein was "suicided" or the story is true and the guards were really sleeping.
One way or the other, this shows America's decadence.
2
What's new?
Under Trump the government is crooked.
The essence of the court system is honest process service. So what does the Postal Non-Service do when an employee falsifies a document? They talk to him / her.
2
It's a plausible explanation.
And a very suspicious one.
5
I think the Epstein case is much worse than what it seems. Our government with all its resources and unlimited money cannot control what takes place in an almost phone booth sized LOCKED cell. This indicates the government can do NOTHING.
2
Maybe instead of PSYCHOLOGISTS, the prison needs SOCIOLOGISTS, who could better explain the dysfunctional division of labor, the dysfunctional accountability system, and prison power structure related to that.
4
nobody needs sociologists, except perhaps the colleges that generate them
I have to agree; this story doesn't add up. It's not like Epstein hasn't been arrested before; He was forced to register as a child molester. So this was not new to him and he committed suicide less than 24 hours after court papers were released? + all the other suspicious stories with the guards.
11
Lots and lots of government hand-wringing over the suicide watch procedures being ingored and it's all the way up to Barr.
Let's face it. Someone looked the other way and Epstein either killed himself or someone did it for him. No watch-tape, no cellmate, no guards and Epstein hanged from the top bunk? Epstein was probably taller than the top bunk; he would have had to plan his fall just right in order to snap his neck.
Now, he can't exchange information for leniency in the court system. How convenient.
11
The issue is that the AG W. Barr gets to control the narrative in the matter of finding blame all the while protecting his boss from any implication by association. Corrupt period.
3
@JL22: Without getting morbid about it, who said anything about him breaking his neck? That's a feature of the gallows-with-a-trap-door kind of hangings -- but a lot of suicidal hangings involve just strangling to death. I won't even go into the details...
3
"two employees were placed on administrative leave and the warden of the jail...in Manhattan, was temporarily reassigned."
Yes! A resounding blow for justice!
8
Yeah and there's a really nice bridge for sale over by the East River.
10
And dreaming about all that money sitting in their offshore accounts. Can we stop with this farce already. He was a dead man walking.
8
Why do I have the feeling that someone stood to benefit greatly from Mr. Epstein’s death, and it wasn’t Mr. Epstein?
14
@J House: On the other hand, suicide among people in the same situation, only without any noticeable money or powerful contacts, it common enough for there to be a formal procedure of "suicide watch", and a lot of depressing statistics. Epstein "benefited" in exactly the same way that many other people do, who calculate the benefits of taking the easy way out. (Of course, there will have been people who breathed a sigh of relief, but there's no reason at this point to think any "knowing" thoughts about something that's all too common.)
1
why were they not all fired - without benefits, no question...
4
How do they know the guards were asleep and that they falsified records?
9
@JSN
They don’t.
1
And there I was thinking this only happened in cartoons. Just picturing slumbering guards mouths wide open and clunky iron keys on a ring hanging out of their pockets, ripe for the picking.
7
I really hate that I'm becoming susceptible to this type of conspiracy-theory speculation, but this has a distinct feel of of "low level scapegoat meets oncoming bus" about it.
On the other hand, it could totally be simple incompetence, which seems to be the order of the day from the president on down.
6
How do we know that some powerful people were not complicit in his suicide?
9
Once again, the media misses the forest due to an obsession with all the ("breaking news now"!) trees. And follows the faux-news breadcrumbs strewn by Barr and Trump in the process!
"Follow the money!" as Watergate's Deep Throat admonished Woodward and Bernstein when they were getting distracted by, relatively minor, side-issues early in their investigative reporting.
And follow the larger story of who benefits from Epstein's death (conveniently, before he could testify about what he know about Trump, Barr, Acosta, etc). And who stood to loose while he was in custody and potentially able to trade what he knew for leniency from the criminal justice system.
The real issue here is *not* some lazy (scapegoated) guards, any more privates and low-level junior offices are ultimately responsibly for a pattern of war crimes, or "rogue" salesmen are responsible for systemic illegal theft at places like Wells Fargo.
Follow the money! And take a look at the whole forest! This is not conspiracy-obsession; it's the path that most prosecutors take, and one that Woodward and Bernstein ultimately took. If there's no fire, then report that -- but at least look to see of there's a fire causing all the smoke!
12
This entire article seems crazy to me. It always makes me angry when someone goes to jail for a terrible crime and gets out of doing all their time by committing suicide. I think they should have to deal with the consequences they were assigned. It also confuses me why he was taken off of suicide watch so soon after his first attempt. All of this seems odd and like something weird is going on here. Hopefully everyone responsible is held accountable.
5
"Yeah, that's the ticket." I wonder what the story will be tomorrow.
7
This is just all too predictable and too convenient. I'm embarrassed to say this, but I'm not buying it. The odds on both guards, sleeping for that long a period of time at the same time, Epstein being taken off suicide watch, the 2nd cellmate removed, and Epstein flung himself off a top bunk railing (must have been a high bunk). What are the odds of all these points aligning given this prisoner's high profile? Slim.
16
Happens all the time with the same result. hopefully all the outrage this time, is not just because an infamous personality was involved.
4
These guards were merely placed on "administrative leave"? How about firing them for dereliction of duty and falsifying their records?
3
Shane Bauer's book "American Prison" outlines in quite a bit of detail the practices of guards to circumvent the regulations covering inmates. This should not be a surprise.
5
Most jobs figure it is cheaper to pay overtime than hire more heads.So all of the shock about the long hours these guards work is off base.
6
Hi everyone. This is a Normal Result of having a government controlled operation that is underfunded, not enough qualified people, bureaucratic promotions, understaffed caring for a high priority project, keeping this prisoner alive.
This absolutely shows that I want my healthcare and income to be collectively taken by the government. I am positive they will do an absolutely outstanding job with my money and will be very efficient!!!
2
Can't wait for Republicans to somehow turn this into an argument for privatizing all prisons in this country. I'm laughing because it's the only way to cope these days.
15
If the security was so lax here, how is it that El Chapo (who has an enormous proclivity for escaping prisons) spent a year here but never even made an attempt to escape? Yet Jeffrey Epstein manages to easily commit suicide in a matter of weeks. And El Chapo had no shortage of money or willing accomplices.
This still doesn’t make sense and the story doesn’t add up. The series of cascading events (unexpectedly taken off suicide watch, guards asleep, cameras down, suicide a mere day after several high-profile names become public) is too unlikely to be believed.
26
Two guards sleeping at same time? Couldn't they sleep in shifts? Let's see if they lose their jobs.
3
Dodgy to say the least.
2
Who's supporting the President? It's incompetence all the way down.
7
Occam's Razor at its best = simple incompetence...
6
This story is pretty hard to believe. Two guards both fall asleep while guarding the most important inmate in the country.
23
So perhaps it was the guards' fault. But it always seems that whenever there's a scandal or crime associated with the ruling class, that there's always a mid-level or low level patsy(ies) who takes the fall and then the whole problem goes away. I'm sorry, I just don't believe that William Barr is so outraged. I don't believe that anything will be done to fix the criminal justice system - ok maybey they'll put batteries in the wall clocks, but nothing ever really changes. The Epstein case will fade, there will be payoffs, all the men who had sex with under age girls and destroyed their lives, will continue as before. When Epstein went to jail, I told my husband he would never get out of there alive. Why? Because wealthy, powerful, corrupt people run this country from top to bottom.
27
Surprised it took so long to come up with a story, esscecially one as lame as this. I would've said, the guard was sick and throwing up in the bathroom or something more creative.
12
I'm looking forward to seeing what's on the cameras!
10
@Brian Malone
I’m sure they have that covered too.
7
I guess the conspiracy theory question is, were they paid or blackmailed into "sleeping"?
11
AG Barr seems pretty vehement to get to the truth here. What a guy. I wonder if the MSM will cover the story when Barr gets a phone call from his boss telling him to drop this investigation asap. I wonder what the going rate is for "taking a nap". My guess is that my curiosity will not be assuaged.
4
You can't walk down the street these days without a video camera following your every step.
But Jeffrey Epstein, the most notorious prisoner in the country was able to kill himself in a federal lockup without a digital trail.
30
@WS
There's no excuse for not having at least an audio monitor in every cell.
3
How convienient they could find some poor, overworked people to blame.
23
I don’t not believe, any little excuses.! In November 2018, I was in the Southern District in Manhattan for a Jury Duty, We see military planes, policemen, FBI, all over the town it was for “EL CHAPO” coming to be in the court. He was in 24/7 days being supervised, like JE. Epstein was a crucial witness for everything he did and, and his criminal activities with high profile people Trump, Prince Andrew, MBS from Saudi Arabia;Clinton... and many others. He’s more important prisoner than El Chapo the drug cartel boss . Now the AG wants was to believe, he wants investigation for bad management? No it’s completely messy. I only hoe we find out.
14
Who are these guards who fell asleep on the job, allowing the death of Epstein? Why haven't they been identified? Do any commenters know their names?
6
Sleeping on the job? Impossible, NYC ks the city that never sleeps.
4
Barr has to make it look like he's investigating this to the utmost to protect his precious boy in the Oval Office, to whom nothing must ever stick. After his handling of the Mueller report I don't believe a word William Barr says. He's shown himself to be just as biased and corrupted as the rest of Trump's enablers, therefore responsible for the erosion of facts, truth, and justice in America.
12
Yesterday, the media reported that the warden was an individual named Shirley Skipper-Scott.
Today, the media is reporting that the warden is an individual named Lamine N’Diaye.
Today, the medical examiner is still awaiting "further information".
Today, we are still waiting for just one news report that actually uses a Named Source who works at the Metropolitan Correctional Center.
Instead, every report is based on:
nameless "people familiar with the matter"
nameless "officials"
nameless "sources"
Nothing to see here folks. Move along. Just a couple of tired, overworked jail-guards who were tasked with overseeing one of the most important witnesses in American history.
13
Why am I not surprised to learn that the Trump admin froze DoJ hiring, including federal prison guards. Now they'll want to blame the little people, with their forced overtime. Good job, Donald and Bill Barr!
7
People kill themselves in jail fairly regularly. No one screams for an investigation. More evidence of one Justice system for the wealthy and another for the rest of us.
7
While his outrage is certainly warranted, as head of the Justice Department, it is Mr. Barr who is ultimately responsible in the troubling matter of Mr. Epstein's suicide just weeks after an apparently failed initial attempt. Of course, Mr. Barr's transparent deflection, i.e. appearing to function as the chief investigator, should hardly come as a surprise to the American public following his shameless mischaracterization of the findings of the Mueller Report to an erstwhile trusting public.
8
Please stop blaming the guards.
U.S. Attorney General William Barr is in charge of the U.S. Dept. of Justice, which oversees this country's federal prisons.
It was Mr. Barr's responsibility to contact the prison warden and point out to him the need to keep Jeffrey Epstein safe from ANY harm.
Barr should have directed the warden to take whatever steps were necessary to keep Epstein alive, safe and well.
And Barr should have told the warden he would have whatever funds were needed to accomplish this.
WHY didn't Barr do that?
Barr says he is "appalled" Epstein died in that federal prison.
Well, so are the rest of us.
16
I can understand clearly why people want accountability, yet we have now saved lots of money housing Epstein as well as money spent on a long trial. It's a 'win-win' as I see it.
3
Major incompetence from the top down, this feels like the way a third world country would run it's prisons, not one that has more laws and oversight supposedly than most others. I worked as a security guard back in the late 70s and it was not uncommon for guards to bring a pillow to work and sleep through the night. But I have seen night workers at Home Depot, and they never take a snooze! With the amount of money at stake in this case, how is it that a few extra thousands were not spent on this critical case and their charge?
9
So we're expected to believe that two officers fell asleep together at the same time for three hours only to wake up and find a high risk inmate dead? Double shifts and understaffing aside, the timing here is suspect, to say the least.
19
I doubt it would have made a difference if the guards had actually made their 30 minute rounds. Epstein could have easily hanged himself between rounds. The decisions by the warden and psychologist to stop monitoring him constantly are what allowed Eptsein to kill himself. It's injustice that the guards take fall and not the leadership.
13
Please stop reporting on this. I don't care. I'm glad he's dead. It will save taxpayers a lot of money. Those who wanted to force him to stay alive for justice are delusional or merciless. Better that he be dead for all involved.
5
@Tamarine Hautmarche - No one if forcing you to read it.
2
There is no reason that the Federal government could not have allocated personnel in this pre-trial period. Is this how we're guarding El Chapo?
6
Once again ' the buck' stops at the lowest level, not at those who upended the BOP's policies and safety precautions for forced attrition and 'augmentation' that imperil inmates and all who work within prisons
5
Guards all across America sleep on the job every night. Let's not kid ourselves.
8
You had the top dog under your care and all you had to do was make sure that he did not run away or die. It took reporters about 3 seconds to find and interview former workers and lawyers with clients in this prison to understand the conditions and staffing issues. Why is anyone pretending to be surprised? Why do we have to listen to Barr claim that he's outraged? If I were Barr, I would have pulled up a chair outside of Epstein's cell myself to ensure that the guy went to trial. Blaming the warden and the workers is a joke. This is a colossal failure that was sadly, so preventable.
12
The guy's dead, lets move on shall we. No more tabloid conspiracy theories, the guards fell asleep. As someone who has been forced to work the overnight shift, this scenario is completely understandable.
3
In the begining of the guilded age of computers there weren't enough computers to go around where I was working at the time so they decided to do the job in three shifts. I was chosen for the third shift. The hours were 11:30 PM to 8:00 AM. This was an engineering firm and rquired considerable use of brain matter to get it done. We were told we would have to produce and would be closly watched. After three weeks of this this fiasco 25 out of 25 employees in my group were suspended for sleeping on the job.
So I feel for these guys. When your situation is their way or the highway, you need to work but are under constant threat of the axe. how do you live? It doesen't always work out the way management and HR thinks it should.
How they ever explained it to the client I'll never know.
4
@JoeG
I forgot to add I still think it was a hit.
3
Another mess made in NYC. Some world-class city!
2
I once had a bad cup of coffee in Salzburg. it was a traumatizing experience.
8
Perhaps someone has already made this observation, but shouldn't Barr, who is the head of the justice department and the federal prison system, have instructed the prison warden that Epstein was to be kept alive at all costs, which could mean keeping him on suicide watch indefinitely? Because of the confluence of no cell mate, sleeping guards, and no video, no wonder conspiracy theories will go on forever. Barr was asleep at the wheel for not keeping close watch on this.
13
Fire the guards and warden and take away their pensions for a clear dereliction of duty (and subsequent falsification of the record) and as an example to others.
I do not want my taxes squandered on these people.
5
Anyone who has been near a federal courthouse with a camera knows just how much the feds value their privacy and resist being held accountable.
Security will immediately confront people with cameras even if they are on public sidewalks, and in some cases, demand that they stop video recording.
Examples of this are all over Youtube.
Federal law enforcement agents don't have body cameras despite often going into houses like a small army, knocking down doors and pointing guns at anyone inside who has a pulse including the family dog.
This is wolf pack mentality is done to serve a search warrant for nonviolent crimes.
Accountability is something the feds detest because they live in their own world with their own rules.
The federal unions protect them like police unions protect cops.
They need to start firing those at the top to send a message to those at the bottom that sleeping and dereliction of duty is unacceptable along with falsifying records to cover up crimes.
4
I don’t buy that the two guards fell asleep. If that’s the beginning of the investigation we will never know. Sorry to sound so pessimistic.
15
Epstein not only had bed sheets but was in a cell with a bunk bed and no roommate. This just weeks after allegedly attempting to kill himself by strangulation. Also, he was on suicide watch for only 6 days.
Was this the fault of the sleeping guards?
20
Even though he was off suicide watch, his previous suicide attempt was a little more than two weeks before he killed himself. Why was he allowed to have a bedsheet? I've visited several people who did not complete a suicide attempt in regular hospitals and other facilities, and none of them had bedding or anything else that could be used to hang oneself.
11
Occam would suggests laziness, incompetence and mendacity rather than conspiracy. He’d have been correct.
9
This man's name has been in the headlines daily, for weeks, precisely because he had information that was extremely valuable to prosecutors.
I don't buy for a second that the guards in charge of him and their supervisors weren't keenly aware of the importance of the prisoner in their charge and their responsibility, particularly after his initial suicide attempt.
This stinks.
14
Sleeping and getting paid.
7
@Steve
It's the union way.
4
Guards placed on leave? Warden reassigned? They should all be fired!
8
Lotsa people would be willing to get a million-dollar Swiss bank account in exchange for a fireable offense sleeping on the job. Maybe as little as $100k will do it, especially if it gets you out of a detestable job.
Getting both guards to do so must be exponentially higher.
That both falsified the records is a clue.
Ya gotta admit there’s something rotten in Denmark.
15
@Bohemian Sarah
Lots of people would be willing to endure the loss of a union job, blacklisting, and the multiple investigations that will follow them? I wonder how easy it is to make a withdrawal from a Swiss bank account when the FBI is questioning you? People on the internet say the darnedest things.
5
Where is the warden in all of this? Obviously the person most responsible. Something is rotten here.
64
@Pepperman
I agree.
This warden seems to be as effective as Col. Klink.
8
While the guards slept, did a murder occur? The sleeping guards certainly provides a window of time for that to occur. It is constantly reported by some news media that this was a suicide but at this point, that is pure speculation without the autopsy report. This is the real question that needs to be answered. But even the pathologist autopsy report may not be conclusive. Epstein could have been hung by others who entered his cell.
Add that to other highly irregular factors. The US Virgin Islands estate of Epstein where crimes may have been committed was not searched by the FBI until 1 month after his arrest. A number of individuals were observed to come and go before the search. This investigation has been completely sub-standard. The handling of the investigation suggests the possibility of a cover up.
Barr's assertion that Mueller's report showed no collusion demonstrated that he has little credibility. He was ready from the get go to proclaim what happened before the evidence had time to be reviewed. He also has a conflict of interest as his father first hired Epstein at the Dalton School. He should recuse himself.
15
I hope competent detectives and/or forensic accountants are investigating the guards and warden for suspicious cash inflows.
8
As a number of letters have pointed out it is possible that guards, forced to work overtime for days on end, might be exhausted enough to fall asleep. So let's imagine they both fall asleep at the same time and they both wake up after about three hours. Not likely, but possible. What might they do next after they realize they have been asleep? There are two possibilities: they check to make sure Epstein is still alive and in the cell and then they falsify the records OR they shrug their shoulders and falsify the records without checking on the prisoner. Ask yourself what you would do. Add to the above the bizarre decision to remove Epstein from suicide watch and to remove his cell mate. Does anyone believe this?
12
Understaffed, mandatory overtime, late night shift where they check prisoners night after night and find nothing - an overworked guard and a temp napping on the job is not a big surprise. All this fuss for one suicide when there have been so many ignored, when it's a common thing.
It's standard practice to keep a cellmate in the cell - and like most standard practices, when the staff is overworked and dealing with day to day issues, it is overlooked, excused, just for a little bit, etc.
3
Yeah, right... and if anyone believes this, there is a bridge for sale in Brooklyn.
14
One more layer of supervision needed. Why not have prison guards on video cameras 24/7 and payouts to people who monitor the guards' motions and find them sleeping.
@Marty Rowland, Ph.D., P.E.
If you're looking for efficiency and dependability, they should re-assign the police officers whose job it is to write parking tickets to guard duty.
Of course they must find someone to blame. But are these guys just patsies?
8
Sleeping while on lookout. A narrative gimmick as old as cave paintings.
7
Are Democrat Senators calling for Barr's resignation yet?
3
I call for the resignation of Attorney General Bill Barr. The buck stops on his desk.
9
@abigail49
No. The buck stopped where he paid the killer to take out Epstein.
1
History repeats itself so it's no surprise that individuals toward the bottom of the totem pole get blamed. Meanwhile the people at the top of the pole- the ones with greatest power and influence - go unscathed, breathing easier that Epstein has been silenced.
7
Hmmm. Shouldn't the unrecused AG be put on administrative leave also? Or at least latrine duty at the MCC?
8
You know the guards are sleeping on the job when they bring their CPAP masks to work.
4
I don't recall this much noise and attention about the suicide of Sandra Bland in her jail cell ... and she hadn't raped anyone, just violated traffic rules. What gives?!
8
They had one job to do.....
4
@Susan Goldstein
And they did it spectacularly. The sleeping exhausted inexperienced double shift guards allowed the assassin to do his job.
1
I am waiting for AG Bill Barr to hold a news conference to explain to the American people just what transpired with the death and apparent suicide of Jeffrey Epstein. I'm sure he will clear up this matter nicely.
3
Why was someone who tried to commit suicide in the very recent past removed from suicide watch?
Why was he in a cell with an upper bunk?
11
Am I really supposed to believe the lowest people on the food chain are responsible for Epstein’s demise? How predictable.
13
This isn't a problem unique. Many jails all over the country not just Federal have the same problem. They don't staff because they don't have the money. Epstein was just another number on a sheet of paper. We jail too many people and can't pay for it. Pony up or shut up! This is how the broken system does not work. He should not have died and gone through the justice system and served what ever a jury decided. Having faced life in prison he chose to opt out. Justice denied is no justice:( He gets the last word but perhaps not the last justice. The investigation continues.
1
Once again, the events that led up to Epstein's death are impossible to square with the facts. And now the story of guards who were sleeping on the job reads like some Frick and Flack cartoon.
And Barr so huffy, puffy trying to reassert the legitimacy of the DOJ by announcing an investigation, that like the Mueller report will probably go nowhere. The death of Epstein is our Khashoggi narrative.
Epstein was a wealth of information that promised to provide rare insight into the entitled, private and prurient proclivities of the wealthy and powerful. His homicide suggest the width and breadth of the names contained in his currently sealed papers as well as bringing to an abrupt end the public trial of Mr Epstein.
The powers that be no doubt are depending on the public's lack of appetite to defend a child predator's civil rights and hope that the public will conclude that such an individual deserved to die anyway, The public will grow weary of hearing victims stories diminished by perception and who have, thus far, failed to garner the public's sympathy.
This is not a conspiracy theory. It is just the facts so far. Still awaiting the autopsy report and an explanation of just how Epstein managed to "commit suicide."
There is an explosive story here that is so disturbing, frightening, and reveals the gist of absolute privilege and immunity. Hopefully the press won't grow weary of it and pursue it with the same verve as Watergate.
16
Shoot. If only the guards had committed the felony of obstruction of justice. The AG Barr would see no wrongdoing at all.
3
The guards “fell asleep” sounds like the old “the dog ate my homework” excuse.
15
Seems clear to me that most Times readers won't rest until the agreed story is that Trump himself strangled Epstein under orders from Putin in an effort to deflect attention from the El Paso and Dayton shootings.
5
@Midwest Josh
Well stated Josh. I was going to send my own comment but I will just sign on to yours. Once we come to the realization that everything from hail storms to volcanic eruptions is the fault of either the Republican Party, Donald Trump, or in this case the AG William Barr there is no and will never be any satisfactory closer to any event no matter how important, or unimportant.
3
So it wasn't the Clintons or Trump or the Royal family behind Epstein's suicide? It was just plain old bureaucratic incompetence.
2
Why is Ghislaine Maxwell living in Manchester by the Sea in Massachusetts and has not been arrested?
18
What the guards apparently did (falsify records) is wrong.
That said... forcing them to work double shifts is just asking for staff in an otherwise monotonous job to fall asleep on the job.
I would bet money that the under the table wink between management and staff is to actually falsify records when lapses take place, regardless of reason or cause.
The issue here rests with management both inside the prison AND outside the prison... not with the staff. Keep in mind... the Trump administration has had a freeze on hiring for the federal prison system for more than a year now.. all while professing to want to lock up more people for more crimes.
3
When these facilities are underfunded and understaffed, when support staff are used to replace correction officers, when correction officers are forced to work extra shifts on a daily basis the result if very predictable. The people who are responsible for these situations, the people at the top, run for cover and the people at the bottom are held responsible Remember Dannemora? Nobody in Albany seems to have suffered in that debacle. I’m not excusing lazy and poor performance but these correctional problems are allowed to fester by the top dogs, who give up the underlings in a nano second.
3
Hopefully the warden will be fired. Most people when put in an untenable position will quit their jobs rather than fail miserably. When there is a large pension at stake it often corrupts what a person is willing to put up with. Trump's justice dept made it impossible to do the job but this guy just sat there waiting to collect after he served his 25 years.
The guards falsified records. The Warden was conveniently "unaware" of standard operating procedures at 'his' prison.
If the conditions under which a high profile prisoner - one whose injury or death was going to provoke a predictably huge public reaction - can escape notice, no wonder there are multiple abuses in the system.
210
@cheryl. Yes. If the guards falsified records they should be prosecuted and maybe they can be put up at the MCC while awaiting trial. It sounds as if the Warden was possibly criminally irresponsible. Assisting a suicide - even by negligence (acts of omission) - is prohibited in NYS. I don't know about the feds.
9
@Andrew
Also pay back money they were paid for work they did not do
7
Is anyone really shocked that guards who work double shifts for days on end are at some point sleeping on the job or not doing their job? Management knew and condoned it. Look at recent scandals in Massachusetts with the State Police. Troopers earning 350K a year were putting in for OT never worked. In Connecticut, State Employees at mental heath hospitals are working double shifts for years on end. What do you think the quality of that "work" is? Federal employee unions are largely toothless compared to state and local governments (No OT in pension calculations, no collective bargaining for wages). Given the strong economy, the jail location and other government jobs choices in NY, I would assume getting good employees is very difficult. Add in the total dysfunction of the Federal Bureaucracy right now and you have massive problems.
268
@Jack
There was a hiring freeze at all federal prisons. Even if NY could find good quality applicants, they could not hire them. Short staffing is a safety risk; excessive overtime is a safety risk. Also, if 30 minute safety checks are the norm, what if you are doing rounds and someone needs help or something needs being taken care of? A delay occurs and you are late on the checks so even if these guards did not fall asleep (which is biologically impossible as your body will just shut down into microsleeps when overtired), something untoward can happen. Additionally, the Trump admin has basically defanged safety regulations in general. OSHA is a joke or maybe an expensive game. For example, at one job site, they make quite a big deal about circuit locks for electricians... except-- they all open with the same key.
81
@Jack
You're right! Considering the mandatory overtime, and with "apologies" to all the conspiracy theorists, you had to see this one coming. Occam's Razor rules again: "The simplest explanation is usually the correct one."
24
@Jack
Please do not assume that bc these are government unions that a private company would do a better job. Privately run prisons always do a better job of being corrupt and incompetent. I'm thinking of you Erik Prince
(and Betsy)
12
I've worked the night shift. Being awake and alert after eleven PM is nearly impossible. There should be a team of people monitoring inmates who can support each other and provide reliable security.
Sleeping and lying about what happened is a crime.
135
@Tom
What about cameras?
3
I would like to know if the guards sleeping at night is a one-time occurrence or a rampant problem, either of which requires immediate resolution. Did Epstein notice a pattern in his (missing) nighttime check-ins the days prior?
I worked as a night shift RN on an acute care unit in a past profession, and any instance of sleeping on the job would have been punished with immediate dismissal and an investigation into the culture and behavior of all staff. Rightly so!
485
@Aparna The professional relationship is different. Nurses are more likely to view those in their charge as in their care; prison staff view their charges more often as in their custody, with much more animosity towards them.
It's hard enough getting people to take prison staff positions, so I'd bet negligence on the job is more often overlooked because they'd have to go through yet another difficult hiring process.
24
Yes, but you don’t live in NYC, the land where person responsibility goes to die.
5
@Aparna
In 45 years there was only one suicide at that facility. The clear implication is that these problems--guards sleeping, no roommate, warden not following proper protocol--are not common. Otherwise, the number of suicides would be significantly higher.
61
If this occurred it is the tip of the iceberg. This can be a culture of neglect to their duties and indifference of their duties. If true they need to face the justice system and their higher ups must be investigated as well. Tye DOJ should look at the entire system for such failures.
43
@Ed
Yes, and of course hold Winnie the Pooh Barr ultimately responsible.
9
@Scientist. Not Winnie the Pooh...more like Fred Flintstone.
1
The people who should be held responsible are the politicians who under funded the federal prison system.
1
If you read 'American Prison' by Shane Bauer, you'll discover that prisoners on suicide watch are routinely ignored by guards.
1
Blame the little guy to spare the big ones. Cover-ups and lies, nothing else.
7
@The Realist Yep, the chain of blame is the exact opposite of the chain of command. The buck stops somewhere way down there.
2
The warden, who made the call to take Epstein off suicide watch, as well as the two guards assigned to check on him, should have been suspended indefinitely WITHOUT PAY, rather than the warden merely being transferred and the guards put on administrative leave. All three will continue to be paid. The guards in particular will be paid for doing nothing. Disgusting.
62
hit job? or overworked guards? either way the justice department is to blame. should not our valiant AG have laid down the law at the facility BEFORE Epstein "killed himself"?
2
What is simply amazing about this is the fact that Epstein had ACCESS to a bedsheet at all to commit the cowardly deed. When I had the unpleasant experience of being incarcerated, years ago, and was deemed a suicide risk, I was denied the use of any object that could be converted to a means of killing myself: No bedsheets, no shoes, no socks, not even clothes to wear. The only thing I had to cover my nakedness was a gown--and that is the best way to describe it. It was a three quarters length, padded, kimono like garb, more like a blanket, with velcro straps to enclose it--and the velcro was worn out in many places. So I was subject to the further indignity of having to hold it together with my hands. It was like covering yourself with a large leaf. But it says something about American inequality, that even manifests itself in prison, that Epstein was given the luxury of sheets to sleep on and ultimately to kill himself with.
100
@Rickey Mantley
Because of how unpleasant suicide watch is, my understanding is that his lawyers filed to have him taken off of it. You aren't supposed to be on it for weeks at a time, there is a time limit.
@Rickey Mantley:
Epstein was also subjected to the indignities you describe while he was on suicide watch. That is one reason his lawyers applied to have him removed from suicide watch and returned to the jail’s “General Population” section. He was granted the return to GP, so he had access to bedsheets at the time of his death—just like all the other GP prisoners.
William Barr's performance at DOJ is dismal and should have an impeachment proceeding begin.
3
Want to make a bet that Barr reads some of these comments and laughs being quite confident we’ll never figure it out.
7
There are two very bothersome things about the 'apparent' suicide. Firstly, both guards were asleep for three hours? Incompetence on that level could be deemed highly unusual. Looking at all angles, one possible answer would be that they'd been slipped a little Nyquil in their coffee. Secondly, "He had apparently hanged himself with a bedsheet, likely fastening the sheet to a top bunk and pitching himself forward". The wording, "likely" suggests that perhaps the sheet wasn't attached to the bunk bed when they found him. How high are the bunks? Have other prisoners done themselves in from a bunk bed?. Would love to see a re-creation of just how that came about....
6
“'We will get to the bottom of what happened,'” Mr. Barr said."
The problem, of course, is that Mr. Barr has corrupted himself concerning the Mueller Report and now no one actually believes him at all.
8
Taxpayers have spent more than $100,000 for Trump to play golf.
Sorry, there's no money to properly staff prisons.
9
We note that like so many of Trump’s department heads - the chief of the Federal Prison’s is an ‘acting head’ not an experienced permanent leader. And just so you know Elvis and Jeffrey were seen entering the Tunnel of Love in Coney Island last night.
Apparently the psychiatrist who examined Epstein and who probably voiced the opinion that Epstein be removed from suicide watch was also asleep.
5
Why is the times so focused on the lower level employees at the prison and not those actually in charge?
Why was Epstein taken off of suicide watch which would likely have prevented his suicide from happening?
Can the times file a FOIA request to obtain the examining psychiatrist’s records to help explain why he was taken off the watch?
Something is rotten here but it’s not that the prison is short staffed and that unqualified and sleepy guards failed to run their cell inspections on time.
This likely goes higher up the chain of command.
6
"Rip up the agreement that Federal Prosecutors in Florida....that shielded not only himself (Epstein) but co-conspirators as well"? Is Mr. Sasse trying to cover up something too? What is Sasse thinking? Is he on Epstein's list as well? And where is the surveillance camera that supposedly was recording Epstein's every move and that of the guards?
Of course the guards were asleep. Overtime will do that to you. Or decision making by either the guards themselves or others, that Epstein was not worth watching. The Union President is right, the Warden should not be re-assigned. He is responsible for signing an order to take Epstein off suicide watch. Also for removing the inmate from Epstein's cell. He obviously is not competent as a Warden of any prison or he has been intentionally negligent. In addition, who are the Psychologists who rendered Epstein not a risk of suicide?
Having Barr conduct this investigation is liking putting the fox in the henhouse. Come on. You might as well ask Trump to investigate.
Acosta, the Defense Attorneys in Florida representing Epstein, including the Federal Prosecutors should be answering all of the questions concerning Epstein's plea agreement back in 2008 and have every detail exposed as a beginning and also expose the other co-conspirators. Even the Defense Attorneys can answer now that Epstein is dead.
This whole debacle smells like rotten garbage. There is already tons of evidence. Expose it.
4
This is no surprise when the guards are overworked. As the Times reported, one guard was *forced* to work overtime. Bill Barr is ultimately responsible for this debacle-he is bad at his job and should be let go. Anyway he did what he was hired to do, which was to falsify the import of the Mueller report and smoke cloud the citizenry to shield Trump. He is finished with that. Hire another incompetent to distract us from the next fiasco.
2
So the guards didn't protect a child rapist. I just don't feel any outrage. I'm not sorry that he's no longer among the living.
His testimony wouldn't have carried much credibility. A child rapist pointing the finger at others to get a better deal for himself? How credible is that?
And his victims think they want him alive, but did they really want to have to go into court and testify against him and be cross examined by his lawyers with Epstein sitting there? For some victims that might be a great experience, but if it were me, I'd just want the guy dead rather than worry about an ugly cross examination.
Sure, the guards should have done their job. But Epstein spared society the cost of his trial and incarceration--and it is some form of closure now that he is dead.
1
Epstein's death is too convenient for all those he held the dirt on. The irony of the fact that he worked under Barr's father at the beginning of his career as a school teacher is also rather revealing. The fact that he had tried to commit suicide and was released from suicide watch only a week earlier makes me wonder who facilitated his ability to do so again.
3
Collect a group of experts to investigate. Put Elizabeth Warren in charge. Call it The Warren Commission.
5
Now whose fault was that ?
Guards were low level employees with minimum wage plus working overtime.
Now Bill Barr is making lot of noises. Why didn’t he see to that ?
Rumor was Barr secretly visited jail cell , why ?
Person who benefited most from Epstein’s death is the conspiracy theorist himself, Barr’s boss.
4
"Guards Jeff Sessions and Sarah Sanders were temporarily assigned to this job and fell asleep during the overnight shift."
4
When El Chapo was held there, no such lapses were reported, over a much longer period of time. Strange, isn't it? What is the difference between El Chapo and El Epstein? Friends in high places with really big, bad secrets.
9
All other things aside, this incident demonstrates that sane, skeptical and pragmatic Americans have no faith and trust vis-a-vis this White House. It is remarkable how much damage this administration has done to the trust and faith which citizens must have in the government.
1
Why is the Bureau of Prisons contained within the Justice Department? It seems inappropriate for the chief proscutor to also be in charge of the jail.
3
This won't be enough to stop the conspiracy theories. The armchair detectives and basement-dwelling trolls who fabricate schemes and plots won't be satisfied with this mild excuse. Epstein has entered the realm of fantasy occupied by Vince Foster and Princess Diana, and even my favorite, that Ruth Bader Ginsburg is dead, but Democrats are covering it up to keep Trump from naming her successor. Two guards falling asleep will never be allowed to stand as an explanation for Epstein's death. It's gone too far now to ever be called back.
1
Has anyone checked the bank accounts of these people who sleep on the job? Were they paid extra to sleep?!? Perhaps they will need to sleep with one eye open from now on since they have shown themselves to be at the minimum, lousy at their jobs.
4
Fire the man who runs the federal jail system and the Attorney General. This is not an issue of the negligence of a couple of guards it ya the negligence (possibly criminal) of the Federal Correctional Facility system which reports to the AG.
Enough. This is a joke which is not funny. We became a banana republic.
1
". . . two staff members who were guarding the jail unit . . . fell asleep and failed to check on him for about three hours, then falsified records to cover up their mistake, according to several law enforcement and prison officials with knowledge of the matter."
And to think if Epstein wasn't such a high profile prisoner, the actions of those two staff members may have never been discovered.
WOW - Epstein's death will in all likelihood lead to potentially safer and improved conditions at prisons.
1
Let me guess . . . The obvious way to hold a known suicidal, high profile suspect safely to await their explosive trial of the century would be in a bare cell with only a mattress and a beanbag chair, assuming the ACLU would not sue for human rights violations? The jail employees in this case may as well be named Moe, Curly and Larry. If their is a deep state, it at least has a sense of humor.
Since we never know who, in the Trump administration, is telling the truth, or who is telling yet another fib, we will have to wait for the movie.
1
When so many people first thoughts are that there is a conspiracy... I understand why this country is in deep trouble.
2
Yes, the workers were exhausted and cheated. I've seen and worked in government facilities and such things do happen. I feel, however that these people will be thown under the bus and the "investigation" wrapped up because they "have their perps". The real questions here are;
Why was Epstein taken off suicide watch? He was clearly suicidal.
Why was Epstein's cellmate removed from the cell without rotating another inmate in with him, as is policy?
No, the majority of the blame goes up top.
6
Would you issue a life insurance policy to the guards, psychologist, or the warden?
2
A criminal conspiracy requires two or more people, with a shared (criminal) goal, who form an agreement. Usually they have to take at least one act towards accomplishing their shared goal.
Stop telling us that Epstein’s death wasn’t a conspiracy.
2
I don’t for an instant believe this tale. Guards conveniently asleep, mystery sheets and bunk beds...if you believe that you’ll believe anything. Notice how long it took them to hatch up this story.
6
One thing those in power excel in is their ability to have a convenient and an endless supply of scapegoats as in peons. Barr chose not to recuse himself and chose oversight. Obviously this is where his oversight has led.
5
So AG Barr has done it again. This explanation does not ring true. If the reports were suddenly discovered to be falsified, why were we all told from the beginning that he hadn't been checked on for hours. And hurling himself from a top bunk to hang himself also doesn't ring true. We were told he was found on the floor. Therefore he it is unlikely he hung himself because, if he had been successful, he would have been hanging when he was discovered. If he wasn't dead when they found him, then how did he die? Did he really die?
This scenario offered seems completely contrived and doesn't pass the smell test. What we do know is that AG Barr is dishonest and will do anything to cover Trump, including lying to the American people.
Many powerful people probably wanted Epstein dead or disappeared, including Trump who had the most to lose if an ugly truth came out. This is all way too convenient.
The coroner that purportedly did the autopsy should come out to the American people and swear, under oath, that he did the autopsy on Epstein. If there are pictures or video of the autopsy, then they should be shown to the Jerry Nadler and the Judiciary committee and put to rest any rumors that Epstein might be still alive.
6
Just a little bit more evidence that the people who work at prisons are often criminals, too; the difference is they haven't yet been caught. And transferring a warden who probably should be charged with gross negligence or manslaughter, what is the reason for that? If they lied about what happened, there is a good chance that they are lying about why it happened, too. And, importantly, does does race factor into it? That's quite an issue in prisons. So if you are going to investigate, do it fully. But in the end, any internal investigation from Barr is just a farce for a gullible public. Our prisons (and maybe our legal system) are insanely corrupt places, and shame on us for it.
2
Well it looks like this wraps things up, quick work, Mr. Barr.
Only, how did Epstein know he had a three hour window to act? I would like Mr Nadler to add that to congress’ list of questions.
8
What will be interesting is the reaction from the guard’s union. If it’s anything like the police union, this could get ugly no matter how much effort Barr puts into managing the optics.
2
Next the FAA allows pilots to request overtime too - see how well that goes. Why are we doing that with underpaid prison guards?
Barr's solution to tired, overextended and underpaid guards (allegedly to save money to put in someone else's pocket) is to make the problem worse by placing the two tired overworked guards on administrative (ie coverup) leave. That means even more work for the remaining tired underpaid staff.
Anyone gotten to the bottom of why Barr un-recused himself to oversee the Epstein matter and the real reason he did not want Epstein being locked up in Rikers where he'd be free to spill the beans on the sordid affairs of the rich and famous? There must be something to it, no?
Barr's over the top outrage over Epstein's death (compared to his silent blessing of the Dayton and El Paso mass murders) belies a sigh of relief by Barr's boss, making a cover up by Barr that much easier. Indeed, the facts, like the Mueller Report, will be Barrified into a twisted misrepresentation & mess. How can anyone believe otherwise as these two concoct outlandish conspiracies against their friends and foes alike?
Mr Barr, who told the warden to take Epstein off of suicide watch? What's the real reason the warden wasn't placed on leave, too?
"sharp criticism from Republican and Democratic lawmakers." No doubt both sides covering their guilty sigh of relief.
Had El Chapo been given a 3 hour window too, he might have escaped. But as a Mexican, he was certainly watched closely.
3
Again, Trump has eviscerated federal government hiring. Look at the IRS and Social Security Admin as well as many critical agencies which have had services decimated. He wanted to abolish the Office of Personnel Management so personnel hiring would not be fair and equal but people could be hired and fired at whim depending on their loyalty. This man didnt have a clue about the federal govt. America depends on the services from a well functioning govt. The govt is now broke and God help us. Vote out the GOP!!
6
And the hits just keep on rolling. No wonder the conspiracy theories are flying there’s just more fuel than water. The only ones really affected by this are the women that never get their day in court.
3
What is apparent is the active distrust of Americans for our governmental systems and of those in positions of power and authority. Nothing said will be believed, no action will be seen as legitimate.
I don’t know where we go from here when all trust is broken, when America itself is seen as broken. When conspiracies are embraced and “truth” elusive.
This case shines a spotlight on all of our ills and pathologies. Sexual degeneracy ,corruption of power, corruption of the legal system, it’s all on display.From the most powerful men to the social and legal structures that were supposed to protect us, all is rotten and exposed. The poor prison underlings will undoubtedly pay the price for these myriad failures, but we Americans will know the true crimes come from the very top.
4
Someone commented 3 days ago that a very low level person will be held accountable. Wow.
Case closed right?
12
How many times do cops falsify documents? ALL THE TIME... These guards are in the clear, behind the blue wall of silence. In 6 months they’ll be working somewhere else, by then they’ll have received their payoff.
2
Occam's razor, the Law of Parsimony, when you hear hoof beats anticipate horses, not zebras.
1
Many seem tempted to hide corruption with incompetence, especially on Pennsylvania Avenue. Given this ambiguity, we can turn to "statistics" to study the problem.
One question to ask about the sleeping guards is if there has been a pattern of sleeping guards on the night shift or similar falsification of records before this incident, or if this can only be shown to have happened in this case.
If the latter, then the question becomes whether ot not the oversight and monitoring is so lax that this was simply not noticed or was ignored by management before. If this failure to do rounds was extremely rare yet happened during the only time this one prisoner was alone, that might support a different conclusion.
Getting a more thorough picture of the systems and applying statistical reasoning will either deflate the conspiracy theories or strongly suggest a much deeper investigation is necessary. Looking at this episode in isolation from the systems and patterns involved will not resolve the debate.
2
Part of me is relieved that in this one case the rich man got exactly the same negligent treatment as any poor man would have received. The guards don’t care and I bet their union will keep them from being fired.
1
We are being mocked by this finding. Those guards couldn't have slept through their shifts. These prisons have checkpoints to confirm that the prison officers are completing their rounds. Analog key turns, fob scans, etc. These systems require a guard to take manual action at several stops along their patrol. This is a federal prison operating in the modern era and these systems must exist. NYT should look into this and review what infrastructure is present. At the very least the investigative party should review these key logs or route entries.
This stinks of conspiracy by powerful and unconcerned parties. We must right this sinking ship.
7
Nope. Still not buying it. One of the two napping (but not three hours!) but not both of them at the same time. And not on the floor of the most notorious inmate in custody. Once again, Jeffrey Epstein was no ordinary inmate. Everyone up the chain of command, all the way to Attorney General Bill Barr, should have been actively involved in keeping him alive at all costs, preventing suicide and protecting him from other inmates or even guards. Everyone in the chain of command should be fired without benefits, including Barr.
6
I hope that the same outrage at Mr. Epstein's apparent suicide energy investigating it is directed toward prosecuting the other people that have been implicated in his crimes and appropriate attention made to the victims.
3
When leader blames everyone, sleeps otherwise when not watching Fox; culture passes through the blood of the admin and people fall asleep. There is a culture of non-accountability in GOP & Trump's admin; and this is one of the outcome.
Mr Barr - A GOP General will blame the little guy but never investigate their own failure..
2
It boggles my mind to see so many comments indicating that people actually believe this chain of events , as always the worker bees take the blame .
This is just as funny as Flip Wilson's line about why he bought the red dress ," the devil made me do it " he replied .
Very few comments indicating it was a set up , which is my opinion .
2
Me, I'd keep a watch on their finances to see if they come into any windfall cash.
3
I hope that if these guards were falsifying logs, they will be prosecuted.
1
The falsification of the official records is a felony. That felony led to the death of Mr. Epstein. I would think that those two statements could lead to a charge of felony murder for the guards who falsified the records, as a death occurred as a result of their felonious behavior.
1
@michaelscody
I doubt that falsification of these logs is a felony. Even if it were, that would not be covered by the Felony murder rule because it is not an inherently dangerous felony
I teach at MCC. When this story broke, I immediately knew it was because of the underfunding and the overworked staff, not some wild conspiracy, and probably as simple as, yes, some overworked guard fell asleep.
My own views on the incarceration crisis aside, these people were doing the best with the shoestring budget they had. Almost every time I visited, another guard was retiring or being transferred.
Another part of the story is that some guards had left to work for ICE...and so, they were sent to the border to work against manufactured criminals while the actual criminals were being neglected.
The blame falls wholly on a Tr-mp administration that is systematically and consciously destroying every aspect of the federal government, not just in this case, but the EPA, USDA, etc.
247
@anthajazz
I am intimately familiar with MDC in Brooklyn and can assure you these problems preceded Trump. The problem is with large government bureaucracies that are not accountable to anyone.
8
@anthajazz
How come this prison, if so bad, had only one suicide in 40 years before this? And, if anyone should have been treated carefully, it was this most famous prisoner. Your assessment does not add up, and the fact that it devolves into Trump bashing fatally damages its credibility.
20
@anthajazz You are right on target about the Trump administration destroying the federal government. At first I thought it just a matter of ineptitude and chaos from having a government run by inexperienced lackeys hired by Trump to be "yes" men/women. But now I wonder if there isn't something more calculated going on...
22
So many of these comments lament the poor working conditions, understaffing and/or forced overtime as the main takeaway from this suicide. The "poor workers" apparently falsified records to show they were actively monitoring Epstein. Had they been doing their jobs as they were assigned to do, this suicide would have been possibly avoided. They were put on administrative leave, not fired as many commenters have said which is a reasonable measure since they appear to have committed a Federal offense.
36
I am reminded of Abu Graib; the guards will be punished, but the higher-ups who should have addressed staffing shortages will live happily ever after in this fairly land for the influential and powerful.
6
". . . two staff members who were guarding the jail unit . . . fell asleep and failed to check on him for about three hours, then falsified records to cover up their mistake, according to several law enforcement and prison officials with knowledge of the matter."
And to think if Epstein wasn't such a high profile prisoner, the actions of those two staff members may have never been discovered.
I wonder how many lives may have been spared or saved because of this information?
3
If it's irresponsible for the President to suggest a conspiracy in a tweet, then it's the same for anyone else to do so, either here, or in any other online forum. Anyone who has ever worked a night shift can tell you that it is entirely possible to fall asleep even with one's eyes open after you get exhausted enough, and the two guards in question here were working overtime. Yes, they were wrong to falsify the record, and I suspect they will pay a heavy price for that. But, the night of Mr. Epstein's death was just another overnight shift to the people working in this institution, and that does not a conspiracy make.
7
@David Godinez
I understand how this could happen at your local McDonalds, or even your county jail. But at a high security federal detention facility?
Read an article yesterday about how understaffed and over worked federal prison staff are since Trump's freezing of new hires over a year ago. Then this "The second officer, a woman who was assigned to that wing, had been ordered to work overtime because the jail was short staffed." Ordered to work overtime. Shame on us for making these people work more than they should. Unions, where are you?
17
I doubt any of the commenters has ever worked a night shift, like 11 PM to 7 AM. Then add in forced overtime. Unless you personally have done this, I don't want to hear about conspiracies of two guards both sleeping. It could even be they agreed to take turns and the second one just fell asleep.
The real culprit is at the top with Trump setting a hiring freeze. Maybe no one dies if someone from the State Department or the IRS quits and there is no replacement, but this time someone died. Does anyone want to bet that Barr will never mention understaffing in his report?
22
@Jerry S
Well, I have worked plenty of midnight shifts as a toll collector, computer operator, and security guard in my life and I never fell asleep during any of them.
The only other culprit, in my opinion, is the person who allowed a log to be the only record of the checks. As a security guard making rounds, I had to clock in at various stations along my route, where my badge number and the time was recorded. I do not see any reason why a similar system was not in place in the jail; guarding people should be more important than guarding Shredded Wheat.
5
@Jerry S
"I doubt any of the commenters has ever worked a night shift, like 11 PM to 7 AM."
And here's a theory that doesn't hold water either: the NYT's has a vast readership of all sorts of people, many of whom, like myself, have worked night shifts and long hours.
This is the prison where El Chapo was housed, and Mr. Epstein, famously depraved molester and procurer for the rich and famous, was the "celebrity" prisoner housed here. A watch should have been put on the prisoner just on general principals.
I don't buy your explanation/excuse in the slightest. To me, this thin explanation is further suspicious grounds for foul play.
3
@Jerry S, Of course Barr will not mention understaffing. As I experienced as a VA Nurse, they plug a staffing hole with a body, even forced overtime. And because of the nature of the work, people can die. "Gundecking" or falsifying records to cover up work not done is the inevitable result, that is all the supervisors care about. It's amazing deaths do not happen more often in Fed facilities (or do they?). Epstein got lucky, he got away with escaping justice again.
The explanation of two guards falling asleep only adds to the fishy-ness of this incident.
Do the guards have couches or day beds available for naps? Or are we to believe that the guards fell asleep in chairs as one does in an airport waiting for a flight? For 3 hours?
Taken off the watch list, no closed circuit cameras....not even in the hallways? No cell mate?
These explanations don't alleviate the suspicion of foul play, they increase it dramatically.
15
@Nelly, work a night shift overtime after multiple days of work. You will fall asleep standing up. Sometime explanations are boring and simple.
why is anyone surprised about snoozing guards?
this what happens when someone on the graveyard shift is working their 5th overtime shift of the week.
this has gone on for decades.
14
"'We will get to the bottom of what happened,' Mr. Barr said."
No we won't. What happened is the jail is severely understaffed and officers are forced to work overtime. Will more officers be hired? Will the jail be fully staffed?
Would anyone care if the person who died wasn't high profile and wealthy? I doubt it.
31
Few people in this country care about prisoners, prison conditions, or those working in prisons. Taxpayers are mad that their money goes to take care of bad guys and they don't want to pay a dime more than they absolutely have to. We get what we pay for.
20
Of course the facility was understaffed.
Salaries for corrections officers are paid with money from taxes.
And the wealthy - who own and operate our government - simply don’t want to pay taxes.
31
@Robbiesimon
And people who constantly vote for lower taxes somehow expect services to stay exactly the same.
3
I would check their spending habits and their bank accounts. Epstein was the highest profile in the system. One guard falling asleep is a coincidence, two is a conspiracy.
17
@Ellyn or just a convenient excuse to scapegoat working people for massively insufficient staffing policies.
1
@Ellyn conspiracy or flat out corruption?
@Ellyn Enough with the conspiracy theories! This is the level of incompetence and mismanagement that those of us who actually live in NYC deal with on a daily basis.
Yes, sleeping and getting paid overtime for it. That sounds familiar. And how close to retirement were they? Is their DB pension plan one of the ones that takes overtime into account in determining pension amount?
12
It doesn't make sense that they allow the guards to put in 60 hours weeks. Do you have to pay extra for overtime?
One guard working 60 hours per week should be roughly cost the same as two guards working 40 hours per week.
The numbers just do not add up.
14
@Joe
Extra guards = extra benefits. Someone should take a look at their budgets since Trump became president. It's cheaper to pay overtime than hire a new employee.
18
@Joe Only paying for benefits for one person if they force them to work ot.
All these men in high places.......no one to testify...how convenient. The guards and warden will retire.....with pensions of course...the regular staff was not available for duty. Their jobs are difficult enough without being tarred with the same brush.
15
The warden's decision to remove Epstein from suicide watch smells of an orchestrated expedient of convenience. Failure to observe additional protocols, such as having a cell-mate, only serve to amplify suspicion. While I doubt the hyperbole concerning a purposeful assassin, treating such a high-profile prisoner such as Epstein so carelessly begs the question of whether this was simply neglect, or some other power dictating the warden's actions. Having Barr, who whitewashed the Mueller report, heading this investigation inspires no confidence that the truth will ever be known.
109
I picked up a hitchhiker in 2013 who told me about his dishonorable discharge from the military. While his description cleared him and faulted his “hot-shot straight outta ROTC” CO, when I later looked up what I believe was the incident online, it looks like he fell asleep on the job, resulting in an accident that directly put at risk the health and safety of thousands of Americans.
Then, when a trucker smashed into the historic fountain in my tiny college town, the culprit was found to not be drugs, alcohol, or distraction, but sleep deprivation.
Sleeping on the job has been used as a synonym for laziness as long as I’ve been alive, but it’s a real and common phenomenon, and in my opinion the problem usually lies squarely with management. Workers are either overworked, underpaid, unmotivated, or all of the above. Work today is not as bad as work in the gilded age, but people are still pulling unhealthy hours to make ends meet, and so long as workers remain overworked, underpaid, and without a stake in their work, we will continue to have incidents like these creating hazards to public health and safety, damaging property, and now even miscarrying justice.
60
@Anonymous
If they fired every prison guard who fell asleep on the job, there probably would be very few left.
It's a dangerous, low paying job. How many people who can get others are going to take it?
Sure, we can raise the pay or hire more but how popular do you think a tax increase to go to that would be.
6
@Anonymous Then how do you explain no video feed in 2019. You blame that on sleep deprivation too?
1
On Monday, the chairman and ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee sent a letter to the acting director of the Bureau of Prisons, Hugh Hurwitz, demanding answers about how Mr. Epstein could have been unsupervised long enough to take his own life
The letter said Mr. Epstein’s apparent suicide had brought to light “severe miscarriages” or deficiencies in how inmates are managed at the jail and had “allowed the deceased to ultimately evade facing justice.”
... Last time I checked, and I have, death is not within the range of punishment specified in the Sentencing Guideline for the crimes Epstein was charged with but not convicted of. Mr. Hurwitz's concern about an evasion of justice pales by comparison with the fact that an innocent man awaiting trial died as a result of BOP's negligence.
5
Presumed innocent. Given his previous admission of guilt in Florida, I think that is quite a presumption.
@Jeffrey Harris
Happily for all of us, it is constitutionally explicit and fundamental that we cannot be deprived of life, liberty or property absent due process of law and that due process importantly includes the right to a trial by a jury of our peers. Failing to accord Mr. Epstein, or any of us, that constitutional right strikes a potentially mortal blow to your liberty, my liberty and that of all citizens of the United State regardless of allegations of wrong doing, no matter how heinous. Happily we do not live in Russia, Venezuela or any other country where the rule of law does not prevail, where a mere allegation of wrong doing, whether made by the government or or by the acclaim an of an uninformed citizenry, will suffice for the deprivation of life, liberty or property, no matter how heinous the wrong doing alleged.
There would be no conspiracy here. Many jails and law enforcement departments are artificially understaffed, award themselves overtime pay and sleep on their job.
11
What I personally find outrageous is that conditions in prisons lead to and allow for the deaths of many. Very little, if anything, is reported about them.
13
I find it hard to believe that the guards were sleeping. Jail systems in the USA employ a technology where guards have a wand which has to meet units around the jail regularly throughout 24 hours or alarms at the central location go off.
26
@Caeser. 40 yrs ago my brother worked as a security guard at a UPS facility. Every so often he had to walk the perimeter and punch some kind of time card at stations.
1
Interesting that Epstein knew when to make his move. I suspect he knew because it was common practice to skip the required checks, that these particular “guards” were simply the unlucky ones on duty when Epstein died.
17
@Finklefaye I agree -- they probably did it all the time.
@Finklefaye. Epstein couldn't see the guards so he could not have known they were sleeping.
@Ginger-yes, but he could certainly know they weren’t ever checking on him, night after night. So he didn’t have to worry that they would come by and stop him
So, how did Epstein know that he would be left alone or long enough to accomplish his goal?
Was this lack of supervision a pattern? Did they have a guard unfamiliar with procedure and a guard who slept on duty every night?
29
@Eileen Hays
He didn't need to know. Even if the guards had monitored him as they were supposed to, checking every 15 minutes, that 15 minutes was plenty of time to hang himself.
Guards in these places have salaries of 38K - 51K, and at least some of those there that night weren't even guards, so likely earning less. They were there to get overtime pay, likely in addition to day jobs, and this facility is in Manhattan. Salaries like those are not living wages in Manhattan, so those "guards" likely live far away or as poor people, despite two jobs and overtime. I'd fall asleep too. If you want people to act like professionals, pay them accordingly. Another toxic impact of Reganomics: a lack of professionalism and responsibility due to abusively low pay for the worker bees.
92
Chronic underfunding and under-performance of the prison system is a small price to pay for tax cuts for the rich.
80
The "guards" should be held in protective custody to prevent more cover-up. They have probably already committed a serious crime, so this is warranted. If they were threatened or bribed to conveniently not do their jobs, the people who initiated this assassination will hit them too. It's a lot cheaper than trying to defend themselves, and there is a whole list of probable suspects.
The same goes for the psychologist, the warden and anyone else who could have engineered the chain of events.
41
@RealTRUTH
For once what sounds like a conspiracy theory probably is.
I wonder if we'll ever find out the whole story.
3
@Butterfly
We will have control and access to all the FACTS when we rid ourselves of Trump and his farm team. Vote them out this year and in 2020 and insist upon getting THIS right. I think the rewards in terms of clearing the SWAMP will be worth it.
2
@RealTRUTH yes. They are in danger as are GhislaineMaxwell, Virginia Giuffre and any other Epstein victim who knows anything about Trump or his circle and is planning to testify.
1
Seems very odd that two guards would fall asleep at the same time and both would stay asleep for three hours. Also, that the other inmate in the cell would be moved Friday night and Epstein was left alone.
122
@CatB
And that’s just the basics. It goes on to get much worse.
6
@CatB It's called being overworked.
@CatB.... I don't believe in that many coincidences either.
10
This fiasco does not engender much taxpayer confidence in the federal criminal justice system, or its employees.
18
I would have had these two guards tested immediately for drugs - someone may have slipped them a mickey. I would also have their bank accounts checked for unexplained deposits of large sums of money.
68
@Jonathan
This is what you get with strong unions. Ditto for police unions, which are so strong they won't even permit statistics on cop crimes to be compiled.
Strong unions. What democrats love, right?
1
@Jonathan
Bank accounts would be arranged in the Cayman Islands.
4
Let me get this straight. A guard "fell asleep," as did the temp "guard." Now they and the warden have been made more difficult to access to conduct an investigation into the death of a high profile inmate? Now we're to assume the possibly corrupt full-time guard and warden didn't turn a blind eye to a hit man hired to kill a man in federal custody.
Another explanation is that the guards were told not to do their duty to allow the prisoner time to kill himself. Then the story of TWO guards that had the duty to explicitly check on the prisoner fell asleep (however improbable that is) to cover for the prisoner to take the coward's way out. Now the three are made less available to investigate the death.
I know these conspiracy theories sound a little farfetched, but the story we're being fed sounds just as fabricated as everything I've said given the severity of the crimes of the prisoner. Why was a temp assigned to Epstein and neither he nor the other guard able to fulfill their assigned duties?
67
@Brian It's wise to never underestimate the amount of sleeping on the job done by civil servants in NYC. It certainly is not "improbable".
@Brian Agreed. We are being fed new excuses for Epstein's death everyday. We are supposed to believe that not one but TWO guards fell asleep on duty?? That sounds like something from a bad Hollywood movie.
5
How does one fall asleep for three!! hours at work? Two! people slept for three hours!? It's hard for me to sleep three hours in bed without waking up to turnover.
48
They were both working overtime. Have you ever worked a night shift when your normal shift is daytime? If not then don’t try to speculate how people can fall asleep for three hours. And one was FORCED to work a double shift.
24
Not an exception. Most Americans seem to be asleep when it comes to our political duties such as voting elect our representatives and leaders.
49
I said on Saturday that in a just world, every single officer in that facility would've been fired on Sunday.
I stand by it, and I doubt anyone will be fired.
17
@Nathaniel We agree, someone should be fired, but let's start at the top and fire the Republican administration that cut the BOP budget and froze hiring with the intention of future privatization. This sort of accident is what happens when libertarian ideology meets reality.
74
@Nathaniel
What an excellent idea! Fire everyone!
And what shall we do with the inmates, then?
1
@Nathaniel
Unions protect incompetence. It's one reason why they fell out of favor.
1
We could not afford to properly staff this detention facility, and probably countless other federal positions, but we can afford to spend millions of dollars protecting the president and his family. How much do those golf weekends cost us every time he takes one? Aside from embarrassment, what is the cost of us footing the bill for his whims?
108
@Susan Bravo! We also pay for security for trump's adult children. why? that money should be spent to help these inmates rehab so when they are released, they have skills to rebuild their lives. instead, the "rehab treatment" at these facilities is to abuse them, beat them down. How can they expect to be productive when they are treated like a bug on the sidewalk who gets crushed.
5
Looks like another “jail assisted” suicide.You have no idea what is allowed to happen in prisons/jails. No oversight, nothing with teeth to make sure rules are followed.
I have been investigating the Lackawanna County Jail in Scranton which has come under fire in recent years. In this jail, an inmate is “paid” to check for suicide every 30 min on the 11-7 shift while the TV blares at its loudest level depriving detainees of sleep on a nightly basis. Clearly 2 violations of the state prison code. Clearly on camera that he just sits there and doesn’t check anything. Not a guard in sight. Guess what happens when you violate the state prison code? You get a written warning on how to do better next time— no teeth..
As to those comments on overworked staff?-overtime is prized.. Ask how many guards are part-time to fill the gaps— none.
The USA’s prison system is one of the worst in the world. We refuse to accept the UN’s Mandela Rules instituted in 2015. Most people don’t know this. Prisons differ from state to state and county by county, just like your rights under the criminal code.
In some states you have a right to trial in 45 days, others it’s 365. In some states cops can “lie” on your affidavit for arrest, in others, they are penalized. In some states the cops can ask for your ID for no reason, in other states it’s considered harassment. The average citizen has no idea.The justice system needs an overhaul! We need real investigative reporting.
103
How long does the autopsy take? This is all a distraction.
33
@NJO: and who is, or isn't, watching?
Are we completely sure that the body found was acually Epstein's? Because substitution (while the guards slept) seems like a plausible conspiracy theory to me. All this talk about suicide prevention seems like smoke and mirrors to me.
24
@M Dollinger
Would make a good novel that would soon be turned into a streaming mini-series.
@M Dollinger
Crazy thought, but here goes:
Did anybody besides me think it was a little weird that as soon as Epstein died there was a trip to his island by investigators? Really?
What if that provided his big escape and he was dropped off there? How long could a fugitive Epstein be hidden on a remote island while we all focus on a body and the prison problems in NY?
1
@M Dollinger
With Trump's history of secret campaign meetings with Russians and his very vocal public admiration of murdering dictators, all these suspicions are more than plausible.
I know after 9-11, we can only see wonderful things about law enforcement, but this is another side of law enforcement- lazy, corrupt and incompetent.
20
@Dan B Or many used abused and overworked by their employers. The female guard was "ordered" to work overtime, even though she didn't want to. Have you ever worked a job where you can't leave, even if you are exhausted?
1
Wow, if a fraction of the incredulity and attention being heaped on the death of this dirt bag had been expended fifteen years ago when first brought to light in the criminal justice system, we wouldn't be having this inane conversation right now. Now's the time to focus on the enablers and associates who turned a blind eye. Assigning blame and holding the corrections department accountable is slow pitch and can be handled quickly and expeditiously, but it's a smokescreen to scapegoat these guys and detracts from what should be the principle focus at this time, rounding up everyone else who created the environment where this predator could roam with impunity.
72
@Franklin Edwards it was W who cut him the sweetheart deal, then Obama had zero appetite to go deeper. At least Trump did the right thing and put him away.
Get off the prison and the guards. Epstein had ample time to plan this out and to give his pals his directives in advance once he saw that he wasn't being sprung, and that the cat was creeping out of the bag.
Don't see/ hear any guards or prison employees attesting to seeing his dead body, though.
21
Interesting: Trump and his base see clearly - with no evidence, which they demand when it comes to accusations against Trump and ignore when it is forthcoming - involvement by the Clintons here, but cannot for the lives of themselves see any connection between Trump's rhetoric and the El Paso massacre. Welcome to Trump's Kindergarten, where only what one wishes to believe matters.
43
@Virginia
There is no link between El Paso and Trump; nor is there a link between the attacks on ICE and vocal democratic critics.
BTW, the Clinton conspiracy theories are often jokes.
1
We set up systems to administer things and then sit back and expect things to run like clockwork. The reality is far different. The majority of prison/jail guards have a job that is not paid well, not held in esteem and both tedious and dangerous. Accordingly, we must accept the fact that some who take the job become numbed and dumbed to the task. When you brush your teeth tonight rest assured that there are not less than 100 guards around the country sleeping on the job. A system is a chain only as strong as it's weakest link. Barr can scream all he wants but he should know better.
10
Mandatory 70 hour work weeks, a few weeks of that and most people would end up asleep on the job. So the workers will be fired, not the person at the top that due to understaffing created the situation that allowed a suicide to happen.
14
@Heidi
Do you mean Trump or Barr? Person at the top.
14
The person at the top of the BOP is an ‘acting’ person.
The understaffing is due to GOP defunding our government operations, ever since Reagan declared government “the problem, not the solution.” Tax cuts for the uber-wealthy and forced overtime at low pay for the taxpayers. Vote blue!
1
I wonder if they were either bribed to take a nap or someone slipped a mickey into their beverage .
In an age of nanny cams EVERYWHERE is there a tape of these two snoring away ? If their story is to be believe " Roll Tape !"
35
This is just surreal. What were the sleeping guards thinking? The most notorious criminal of the day with a previous suicide attempt....I don't get it.
23
Graveyard shift is called that for a reason. It's the night shift. And it's the "lowest demand" shift of the three: days, swing and graveyard. Inmates are asleep. No lawyers or psychiatrist coming and going. No visiting going on. Just mind numbingly quiet. So, a Correctional Officer already tired from working lots of overtime takes this particular shift or is forced to work it because of staffing shortages, ( graveyard) and he or she is very likely to intentionally take a nap or just fall asleep. Having worked in a few lockups I know the mid shift nap is looked forward to and just a part of the routine...right or wrong. I believe, Epstein picked his time to kill himself knowing full well the CO's would be napping.
11
@Harley Leiber
All inmates know the patterns of their guards. They know which are likely to awaken them for a count and which are likely to leave them alone. They also prefer to sleep through the night and welcome a break from inspections. Normally, a lack of activity during the graveyard shift works out well for everyone.
Epstein's lawyers had him removed from suicide watch and were spending 12 hours a day with him. They have some questions to answer.
14
Put the underpaid and overworked prison guards away. It was all their fault, right?
11
It’s so improbable that it has become possible. Took them how many days to come up with this story? Bed sheet? Bunk bed?
Guards asleep? This is supposed to be high security prison? What does El Chapo‘s cell look like? Surely by now he would have escaped with this level of competence in charge?
All lies and smoke screen. The truth won’t come out until all these criminals are dead and gone. Maybe. For now they can exhale and go on with their life of depravity. The sky is getting darker all the time in the USA.
69
“ The guards fell asleep”, how convenient: a huge sigh of relief coming from the Clinton, Mitchell, Dershowitz households. When will the guards retire to new condos in Miami on full pensions plus? Anyone want to buy a bridge in Brooklyn?
26
@Ted Don't forget Trump!
Inept guards.
I thought they were only allowed to guard Austin Powers in his movies.
Someone should check on El Chapo to see if he's still around.
17
Has anyone actually seen Epstein’s corpse?
Has anyone interviewed the guards? Don’t holding your breath.
11
@Kurt
"Reassigned"
Translation: Hidden in a secure location.
Failure of suicide precautions because the attendants or guards are asleep is not news. It has been happening exactly this way (including falsifying the logs the attendants are supposed to initial every 15 or 30 minutes) ever since this protocol was established. It is a repeating scandal that goes back decades, possibly even before electricity.
The usual form of the scandal is this: guard in a mental hospital or prison is tired, initials the log sheet in advance, takes a nap, patient dies, newspaper discovers truth. Or attendant falls asleep first, wakes up to discover inmate has died, initials log sheet to cover his tracks, newspaper discovers truth. Either way, everybody seems surprised that something so basic, so primitive has failed.
It’s time to replace the antiquated, pre-industrial log sheets with something more reliable. The task to be accomplished is simple — keep an eye on a vulnerable person in your custody. Surely, in this era of advanced technology and innovation, someone can meet this challenge.
14
Just poor leadership, politicians instead of managers. We could have haired more guards and paid less overtime. remember that over time is sometimes double pay and the insurances (FICA, Workers comp), etc. that come with employees are mostly based on the amount of money paid. In some instances the personnel practices force overtime. Some federal employees are not allowed to take one day at a time off (go to a christening, opening day for deer season, e.g.) so they call in sick, making the last guy work longer and the next guy come in earlier. I read somewhere that the typical federal law enforcement person may make as much as 50% of their gross pay through overtime.
7
@Billionaires cost too much
"I read somewhere"
Nice try.
So two guards falling asleep is a convenient excuse but it does not account for the warden's extraordinary and unbelievable decision to take this, the highest profile inmate in the country who had just attempted suicide, off suicide watch in the first place.
And the warden has been "reassigned".
Promoted perhaps?
67
@JM
I've read elsewhere that Epstein's lawyers asked that he be taken off suicide watch. It shouldn't be too hard to determine if that's true. Ask the officials in charge of making that decision.
@JM He only became "the highest profile inmate" after his death. Before that, he was a pre-trial detainee who was generally regarded as "obviously guilty" and pathetic.
And here are the three employees who will take the fall for Epstein's death--however it happened. The investigation will be brief followed by nothing to see here statements. It is all so predictable. Finding the truth was never an option.
40
@Meg Yes, just round up the usual suspects.
12
What's good for the goose is good for the gander. I don't think you should be able to indict a sitting (or sleeping) guard until he (or she) is out of office. We are supposed to get justice after they are out of a job. Sounds silly, doesn't it? We could pin it on Hillary Clinton, right?
4
The article starts off saying the officers were asleep and only later explain that they were forced to work overtime. Why was the jail understaffed? Presumably because it was not allocated enough money. That part isn't even mentioned. .
I was told in school that good journalists put all the relevant information at the beginning, in case a reader doesn't finish the article. This article fails that criteria, making it look like it was all the guards' fault.
6
@Charlesbalpha
Might it be that the schedules were designed to provide extra overtime? Why not wait for all the facts?
1
@AACN
I’m a big fan of facts, but what disturbs me in this case is who is dishing out those facts.
@Charlesbalpha
Regardless of being understaffed, NO warden in with half a brain would EVER take the most high profiled inmate in the country who has just attempted suicide, OFF suicide watch...
unless he is directed to do so by a much higher power.
Call me cynical. I don't believe that Epstein was murdered; but I would not be surprised if some backs were deliberately turned.
One way to cure the 'excessive overtime' issue is to abandon the policy whereby an employee's pension is based on the final years of salary including OT. Who wouldn't volunteer for OT in those last pension-cramming years where an hour of time-and-a-half can be multiplied by 30 years of retirement? And the management, which of course lives by the same rules, is complicit.
12
@Andrew I have been looking this up and apparently the OT is not counted in the federal pension calculation. It certainly was once in NYS; but it does not apply to this situation.
The former GOP is doing the same thing to our democracy that they just did to Jeffrey Epstein.
Don't worry. They'll conduct a full investigation. Just like they did with Kavanaugh.
35
How many prisoners die in jail without all this attention?
11
@Maggie In this particular jail? One, several decades ago.
One needs to make sure all these 2,000 pieces of evidence that were released on Friday don't spontaneously be consumed by flames. Arson is a crime but miracles happen in Biblical Times ie. The Burning Bush.
Also do not let the evidence be dumped out with the trash. No one wants to sort through half eaten sandwiches, drinks, gum , vape inhalers, adult diapers and CBD containers.
Thirdly, Have the Youth Restoration Fairy point his/her magic wand at Woodward & Bernstein and reinvigorate the super sleuths for one more rodeo.
6
Narcissists don’t commit suicide. Epstein was a narcissist. We know he was “alone” for 3 hours. We will likely never know what actually happened. But narcissists don’t commit suicide.
Also, “suicidal” people aren’t suddenly taken off of suicide watch and placed under the watch of a guy who’s not even a correction officer and left alone for 3 hours.
40
Don't believe it for a second! Both guards fell asleep? Come on! We're not that dumb. We're never going to know the true story on this one and conspiracy theories will flourish for the next 50 years.
21
@Annie
If the American public keeps asking questions,
the news media will keep this story alive.
Seriously! The man is dead and deserves to be after what he did to all those poor women who were children then. CHILDREN!!! Let's not forget that. Also, he did us all a favor. I know the women wanted justice, but they did. If he would've gone through the justice system and found guilty, which I'm sure he would have, guess where he would end up, at a nice cushy federal jail facility for rich folks like him. As far as I'm concerned him committing suicide is closure. Now I want to know what people are in his secret files. A man like him would keep information like that about prominent people for leverage. Why is Trump so uptight about him? Hmm. Then he keeps blaming Clinton which as we know he always projects so there must be something about him. The truth all comes out eventually.
16
The guards need to talk to attorneys and have the truth in others hands as an insurance policy.
21
"They were asleep" is like "the dog ate my homework."
There are so many other factors, from chronic understaffing to taking Epstein off suicide watch.
I don't think we're ever going to know what really happened. And that is the fuel that kerps conspiracy theories going.
26
@Talbot
This is the Trump era, where the guy in charge gets to look important and all the mistakes are blamed on subordinates.
19
What procedures are used to determine if a prisoner is a suicide risk? Is it only up to a warden to decide? Did the warden think that in this case a possible suicide would be beneficial for his bosses, setting up severely overtired guards to take any flack?
10
@Harpo
The warden would be given "direction" from those who hold a higher position.
1
Cenk of TYT network said that we do not know what happened and not to jump to conclusions, but it will be speculated for many years and if the people who are responsible for the gross, gross negligence are not out and out fired then we should suspect murder. He said they would only keep their jobs if they knew what really happened and who ever ordered the hit or allowing the suicide was afraid they would talk.
3
Blame the unqualified guard who was required to show up for a job for which he was not trained or the guard who was forced to work overtime because of a Federal hiring freeze. Shake a finger at the warden who had to find bodies, any "bodies" to staff his underfunded and understaffed correctional facility.
The "usual suspects" have been identified.
The psychologist who removed Mr. Epstein from the suicide watch will probably be next, although he may be spared since he knew Mr. Epstein's state of mind and who gave him the order to remove the safeguards.
Others will follow, maybe the laundry people who provided the fatal sheets, or the person who didn't install or maintain a surveillance camera in Mr. Epstein's cell or maybe Mr. Epstein's lawyers who could have insisted on 24 protection for their highly knowledgeable but vulnerable client.
Mr. Barr is outraged and indignant! Mr. Trump is speechless and in grief at the loss of his old party pal. Republicans in Congress who passed the Tax Reform Act that underfunded the Federal government are huffing and puffing and will probably introduce legislation to privatize all Federal prisons so that they can be properly run like a profitable business.
I wonder, how many of Mr. Epstein's party pals will show up for his funeral? Will the number be greater than the Trump inaugural? Will Mr. Trump and Melania attend? Who will give the eulogy? Who will talk of the good old days and all the fun they had?
And the buck stops where?
46
@JMT
" they can be properly run like a profitable business"
i.e. cutting costs to the bone, since current economic theory said the purpose of a private enterprise is to maximize profits.
6
"Since Saturday, Mr. Barr has been briefed multiple times a day on the inquiries into Mr. Epstein’s death, a Justice Department official said."
Doesn't really matter how high-profile, seems kind of bizarre for the US AG to be briefed 'multiple times a day' on an inmate death.
36
@emm305 He should have been briefed at least once a day on Epstein and his security when he was still alive.
3
Trump mandated a hiring freeze at the Bureau of Prisons. Barr enforced it. Because the GOP wants small government even if it can’t perform its job.
The overtime was forced on them.
Untrained employees were forced to act as guards.
Department of Justice saved a few pennies, but failed America, by not putting an adequate system in place to guard prisoners.
You get the government you pay for.
Don’t blame the minions. Blame the administrators Trump & Barr.
Small government gets small results.
Underfunding the government and blaming tired, powerless employees when it fails to keep us safe is a classic GOP maneuver.
They are doing the same thing at the EPA, IRS, TSA, FFA, FBI, CIA, FDA, VA, HHS, SEC, NASA and many more.
Epstein died here. The same lack of care, on the GOP cheap, is being used to guard your interest.
Have a safe day.
84
@Dr. TLS ✅
The GOP refuses to prevent mass shootings of innocent of people each day (literally) to reduce the cost of implementing "gun accountability" laws in this country.
It's time for mass removal of these GOPers from Congress in 2020.
19
@Dr. TLS ✅ You left out this is not about money, for we apparently had sufficient to let $1.5 trillion go to tax giveaways primarily to the richest. Throw in another trillion or so for defense spending.
Under funding for this clearly corrupt Administration is a feature not a bug. You don't get what you don't pay for. It crosses all disciplines - Public Health, Corrections, IRS, USGS, or the EPA. In addition, the impact of under funding may only come to light in a crisis or high profile case. Most would not see budget reductions or attrition at the CDC until a disease outbreak occurs. But by then its too late.
7
@Dr. TLS ✅ I'll agree with all your points except one: the comment about "untrained employees."
First, all BOP staff are trained to assume correctional officer posts, and often do. Sometimes they volunteer, to get the OT, and sometimes they're mandated. Happens all the time.
Second, the non-custody employee who was on duty that night was formerly a correctional officer, so he had plenty of experience.
Lack of experience wasn't the problem. Exhaustion might have been.
1
So far, everything that has been reported could have happened due to negligence or by design. To date, we know nothing.
13
Anyone think to check if the guards were drugged? We know from date rape cases that many of the drugs used to knock people out require a more advanced test than the standard panel they use for workplace drug testing.
24
Why are we now on a crusade to improve the prison systems? They certainly need fixing but let’s take one thing at a time. I can’t help but think that we’re being led away from the truth here. I’m sure the sleeping prison guards (perhaps on purpose) on overtime may have played well into the hands of Epstein’s sex trafficking co-conspirators. What I want to know is how many high-profile prisoners died so conveniently under the same circumstances in that same prison facility.
9
I’m usually not a fan of conspiracy theories but this entire situation stinks to high heaven. Something is terribly wrong besides the guards falling asleep and falsifying records. I don’t trust anyone or anything under the Trump administration, and especially so in this case. Epstein was like a time bomb set to go off. He knew too much about too many important people who were a part of his sex trafficking. The story about Epstein’s death that is being fed to the public is meant to lead us in another direction entirely and away from Epstein.
30
I worked as a librarian and teacher in the Florida prison system for 12 years. Lying about culpability for incidents was taught to us in annual training, with a wink and a nod. Negative incidents were always passed down to the lowest level of employees.
15
@Robin Luger
Which is why Barr should be commended for removing the Warden. The buck stops with him, despite the wild blaming going on here.
1
Why was the warden reassigned? Shouldn't he be fired? Someone under his watch lost their life! With job comes responsibility. He and the guards who were sleeping (sleeping!!!) need to be fired and possibly charged with crimes.
13
@Larry I totally agree. I am amazed at the number of readers who are blaming the system and budget cuts. If the guards are working, they are being paid to work and not to sleep. The guards and the warden need to be fired for negligence.
8
Someone should tell them that ignoring subpoenas is really in vogue and fine with our president and US AG, so that might want to be their plan going forward.
8
I think more responsibility lies with whoever took Epstein off suicide watch. Even I, a person with zero professional background in corrections, would have known he was still a suicide risk and that he should have been kept on suicide watch. Don’t blame these overworked guards for his death. Blame the decision-maker.
15
Comments here to declare the guards to be the victims are a little over the top. Whether or not the guards were tired, deserving sympathy, the most important fact is that a prisoner died and that could have been prevented. This is not primarily a labor relations issue, it's a life and death issue with negligence. Two persons were assigned to prevent another from killing himself. The job of guarding anyone to prevent their suicide must not be trivialized. Furthermore, the guards were astute enough to criminally falsify their records of "guarding," compounding their culpability.
17
@blgreenie
Not one, but BOTH guards just happened to fall asleep guarding the most famous inmate in the entire nation.
Yeah, right.
16
@blgreenie
The guards failed at the job of saving the prisoner’s life but perhaps succeeded in another one.
7
They BOTH fell asleep. How convenient. And if you believe that I have a bridge to sell you.
50
This reveals not only this one case but what many have thought is occurring in prisons for centuries. The guards are corrupt and the prisons are filled with drugs, rape, and murder for a reason. At this time they couldn’t even guard a high profile case with international attention.
10
@Ralph Petrillo
"occurring in prisons for centuries. "
Even the BIble reports the case of a coverup, where the guards at Jesus' tomb said they were asleep when the body disappeared. Isaac Asimov once pointed out that a Roman guard was unlikely to confess to sleeping on duty, which was a military crime for which he could be executed.
I won't trust anything that comes out of this "investigation." It feels like we're living in the Gotham times with no Batman in sight.
20
At this point in the American process regarding the 5th estate, it would be a mortal wound to their institutional credibility if it did not conduct a comprehensive investigation in the death of Epstein.
To simply mouth the words of an AG who has proven that he lacks the integrity demanded of the office and report/fault staff based upon some amorphous and “white-washed” rationale that is clearly transparent, strains common sense and it reawakens the banner of “fake news”. And this is the very thing we do not want to see in our trusted print media.
8
@charles wilson
I’m sure any and all investigations into Epstein’s death will be generated and controlled by Mr. Barr. It’s like the fox being in charge of the hen house in every way.
11
Bill Barr’s father hired Jeffrey Epstein in the 1970s to work at the Dalton School in NYC. Providing daily interaction with female students.
Bill Barr is now in charge of this investigation ...
30
@D So what is your point??? Did Jeffrey Epstein assault any of those students? Are you saying Bill Barr will not do his job? It is a good thing Bill Clinton is not in charge!
2
@D
And thus Bill Barr proclaims again:
"Nothing to look at folks, you can move on..."
7
@JM
Barr did no such thing. He has already removed responsible parties.
1
Wow, Bill and Hillary are pretty amazing- they actually lulled the guards to sleep- probably by making them watch one of Hillary's campaign speeches.
9
And you want to trust your family's healthcare to the government? The warden was a product of affirmative action, the guards were asleep and Epstein is dead. Incompetence all around.
5
@Jon Galt
Better than trusting it to an insurance company.
Checking him every 30 minutes, even had it been done, is not going to stop him from committing suicide. That is more than enough time to do it. They didn't replace his cellmate because? There was not another prisoner in the whole facility? Yeah, right! Gross incompetence at the very least.
6
This might seem beside the point, but why in the world would you refer to Epstein as "the financier" and thus confer some kind of special legitimacy or exalted status he didn't deserve? Was he even a financier? If so, was that what defined him? It's not very far from Fox News referring to him as a "bad boy [financier]". Why not just refer to him as a prisoner, which is what he was in the context of this article? Or if you really needed to spice up the article, use one of the other available labels that more aptly defined him. Con man, convicted pedophile, registered sex offender come immediately to mind.
11
Thank God there is a man of such integrity in charge of the coverup.
41
@Blue in Green
Love your comment!
7
@Blue in Green LOL, not a funny issue, but appreciate the irony.
1
The guards were asleep while guarding one of the most high profile prisoners in the US???? This seems like a false narrative to me
20
@Some people won’t be satisfied with the simplest, most logical explanation because it doesn’t involve a deep, dark government conspiracy. And you can’t prove a negative, which just feeds their paranoia.
2
@Billyboy
What logical explanation? That two men fell asleep on the job at the same crucial moment?
@Billyboy Don't you think it's convenient that both guards were "sleeping" at the same time?
Lucky Donald, this keeps him off the front page and he can tweet his Clinton conspiracy theories.
The fix was in, cellmate gone, substitutes in place - nothing new here. The victims are hurt, they’ll have to wrangle their settlements from the estate, taxpayers spared a a trial, the media short sensational coverage.
How about using the savings to go after other abusers, this one is dead.
10
@Ginger Yep, he's dead, but his collection of info is not.
Everything is odd. In 45 years there had only been one suicide in that facility. Both guards fell asleep. The warden fails to follow proper procedures. His roommate is transferred out. Barr, who now believes he is Trump's personal lawyer, should not have un-recused himself. Trump was an associate of Epstein. Barr's own father was an associate of Epstein. Other papers are reporting that Barr visited the facility just a week or two ago.
58
I'm still waiting to hear what he used to hang himself, how he got it and for the autopsy report to be finalized.
12
@New Haven - a sheet. Standard issue if not on suicide watch.
"He had apparently hanged himself with a bedsheet, likely fastening the sheet to a top bunk and pitching himself forward, law enforcement and prison officials said."
Anybody actually believe this malarky? No guard. No camera. No cellmate. No suicide watch. Folks heard screaming. And we're supposed to believe that he hung himself from a bunk bed?
They're gonna have to do better than that. And get Barr off the investigation before it gets covered over so daggone deep that nobody will be able to wade through the bullpucky.
44
William Barr is managing to antagonize everyone including prison union members and leaders, with his arrogant mismanagement of this mess.
Epstein was the most high profile prisoner under his watch, and he's handled as carelessly as if he were doing time for B&E? Falling asleep? This isn't the county jail in some rural western town.
Such a series of "mishaps" and violations of prison protocol must still be investigated--it seems impossible that so many missteps could have left a suicide watch detainee alone for three full hours.
Epstein's death must have caused a sigh of relief amont for the rich and powerful linked to this flagrant sexual trafficker. While I hope any evidence of their complicitness will come out in further investigations, I'm not holding my breath.
25
Pardon my ignorance but I thought the bedsheets were made out of paper? Was he allowed to have special sheets ? Am I the only one here wondering about this ?
15
@MelRead the papers or listen to the news.He was OFF suicide watch.No more paper sheets!
2
Privatization, profiteering and Republican Domestic terrorism at its finest.
21
So Barr's outraged about Epstein's death but feels nothing with respect to the kidnappings of migrant children occuring on our borders?
What a guy.
17
Put all the Epstein past in the right context and you will be convinced that the way he died Is something that falls in the field of possibilities, not probabilities.
6
Let’s face it, as soon as Barr sees a republican named in the investigation he will end it all and maybe fire two lowly guards.
And Justice will be served. He must protect the cult leader at all costs.
27
A convenient excuse.
We still haven't heard how Epstein supposedly
killed himsrlf. Meanwhile Trump is screaming about Hillary again.
Epstein was one of trumps best friends and they " partied " together in the 80s.
With children. A 13 year old is a child.
Not a " young girl". Epstein had all the dirt on trump and a number of other people.
Somehow , by some mystery, he ends up dead, with the AG sputtering.
After Bart's own dad hired Epstein even though he had zero qualifications to teach.
He was an expert at being a sexual predator however.
These are the people trump calls his friends.
30
@Carla It was Bill Clinton who traveled on Epstein’s plane on 24 separate occasions, a couple of those times with out his security detail. Trump hitched a ride from Palm Beach to NY on one occasion.
4
I believe someone slipped a mickey in the guards coffee the night Epstein died. Follow the money.
18
He hanged himself by tying a bed sheet to the top bunk and pitching himself forward? Both jailers were asleep? And his cell mate was transferred out, leaving him alone, that day? Am I the only person that thinks this is fishy?
50
@Ann Lenhardt
It's very fishy. On the other hand, if Epstein were determined to kill himself he would ask to be taken off suicide watch, pretend to be OK, and wait for an unusual event, like a night with no cellmate. I still want to know about the first attempt. According to some reports, his first cellmate found him in distress and tried to help him. Did the cellmate find him with a sheet around his neck or anything that resembled a noose? It was never reported, but that detail would shed some light on the homicide theory. That said, if you really want to keep a prisoner alive, you will.
2
Bob Barr will investigate this thoroughly and at the end of the day we will fire any janitor that was caught loafing
27
Someone should check out the story from the NY Post that Barr was seen at the MCC facility 2 weeks ago. If he was there, what was he doing?
26
Someone check the bank accounts of all these dudes in 2 years, tell how they are doing...
15
Lock em up - Barr, Trump and their cronies. And let them be well guarded.
8
When you tuck into bed tonight everyone, remember this: Lee Harvey "I'm a patsy" Oswald was murdered while in police custody. Oswald never got HIS day in court either. The reason Bush invaded Iraq, destroying the country, was based on a lie. And Epstein, who knew about the sexual deviance of the rich and famous, including two presidents, died while in a prison cell, because, you know, the guards were sleepy and the warden didn't follow "procedures". Another day of corruption on the fruited plain. Next. As a former history professor told me decades ago, "if you don't understand why some event happened in history, look to see who stood to materially benefit". I guess we know the answer to that question...
59
Not even a $25 security camera from amazon at the guard station? A baby monitor? Are we so gullible to not question ? Sleep can be induced, guards can be encouraged to be lax. But somewhere there should be a video of the gruesome event.
As Ross Douthat said yesterday - for years, there were whispered stories, conspiracies, of priests as pedophiles. Until it ‘became true’.
Serious nyt journalists should be asking ‘who(plural) stands to benefit the most from there not being an Epstein trial?’ Hint - the real crimes are not the girls.
18
Disgraceful! Had he been hanging for only 25 minutes, he surely could have been saved. Right?
1
Here's an irony: somebody in Epstein's world will sue and we the federal taxpayers will end up eating a big payout.
7
How many innocent migrant children have died in ICE custody again?
Two dozen?
14
“ He had apparently hanged himself with a bedsheet, likely fastening the sheet to a top bunk and pitching himself forward, law enforcement and prison officials said.”
Is this possible?
10
@DJS Yes, partial suspension hanging. Very common. Compression of the carotid artery in the neck will do it .
1
It seems I can't log into most websites for the first time without proving I'm not a robot by responding to a visual hint. Why can't a similar low-cost technology be brought to bear to ascertain that workers with minimal or no supervision are in fact alert and on the job?
2
Two of them asleep? Sure that happened. Wonder how much money they made for taking their long convenient naps. Follow these guys for some years, they'll be spending those bucks sooner or later.
18
Well, that's that.
Two 'guards' will be fired and one warden reassigned to a different prison, there to enjoy tax-funded salary and benefits until tax-funded retirement.
Now everything that is so obviously and egregiously suspicious can be disregarded by Barr, who controls the investigation despite his many personal ties to the case.
So...who gets to keep all the evidence seized by the FBI, especially any videos of still-powerful men committing horrendous, indefensible crimes?
Hope no one with easy access to all the evidence ever thinks it might be used to blackmail any old pals of this 'terrific guy.'
Because that would be wrong.
14
@Bill Banks It would certainly be dangerous to the blackmailer.
I do hope that these guards, the warden and the prison psychologists are tracked in the coming years and any change in lifestyle reported in the press
25
The warden and the guards should be fired forthwith, and it shouldn't stop there. Attorney General Barr, who is ultimately in charge of federal prisons, should resign because these serious lapses in prison security happened on his watch.
19
First and foremost, how many previously reported suicides have there been at the lower Manhattan facility?
Did the officers and the warden on duty face the same scrutiny as the current ones? Or do only famous deceased prisoners such as Mr. Epstein get the red carpet inquiry?
9
This was the first suicide in 21 years at the facility, because it was allowed to happen to cover up the deeds of the powerful people involved.
19
@Norm
I tried to answer your first question, Norm.
Let me try once more:
I have been informed that one suicide rook place 19 years ago. Then none until now.
Any reliable link would be much appreciated.
1
@Norm
Reportedly, this was but the second suicide in 20 years.
Other information, anyone?
3
and he did it so quietly so as not to wake them up
17
So we apparently have incompetent prison workers and a warden who messed up. Solution? Send warden to another facility.
We really ought to reward incompetence more simply: Fire them all and then let them wonder why.
6
Oh come on....The Clinton’s arranged the murder. Our POTUS just said so yesterday in front of Marine One. Since these guards worked for Trump, I believe him.
KIDDING.
However, just have to say I am really getting tired of WH reporters sticking microphones in Trump’s face allowing him to spout LIE AFTER LIE WITH NO PUSHBACK. This death happened under Trump’s Watch and all we hear about is his conspiracy theories.
38
If we can't trust William Barr to tell us the truth about the Mueller Report, how can we believe him about this or anything else?
50
Gee - if only they had privatized the prison. I’m sure that would have made everything better. /s
4
Why hasn't Barr recused himself from this investigation? His father hired Epstein who only had a high school diploma to teach math in a Manhattan prep school. It is creepy that "the fox is allowed to guard the chicken coop". So many powerful people are implicated in this story - Barr's father is one.
This needs to be investigated by an independent investigator.
The whole story smells fishy to me. If Epstein was a suicide risk why did he have the materials to hang himself? Something just doesn't sit right with this story.
36
All very well and good. And what about executive management? When there are heads on sticks, the populace takes notice AND deems things (somewhat) fair. Thus it has ever been. So rest not NYT until you've scalped higher. Much higher.
2
It’s a red herring... the money and his buddies that’s where the meat is.
6
And the questions remain. Just a few for example:
How long had he been dead?
Where are the hall cameras' videos?
What did he use to hand himself?
Where in the cell did he hang himself?
Why are people being moved and placed on leave rather than fired?
Will anyone be monitoring those who were in the facility that night for any large purchases or changes I lifestyles months from now?
Trust the trump Justice Dept? No on your life!
(Barr needs acting lessons. Being a Master Liar is not enough on this one!)
15
@SouthernLiberal please read the article
1
Barr’s father hired Epstein to teach at the prestigious Dalton School despite Epstein having no credentials. Lets give that a closer look please.
7
Epstein was a dead man the minute he was taken off suicide watch. How long does it take to commit suicide? It really doesn’t matter if the guards fell asleep for five minutes or five hours. If he was not watched 24/7 he was going to do it.
9
I could have fixed this problem for less than $300 with a Fitbit HR and a baby monitor from Amazon. Pathetic. The American people deserve to see their justice system actually working and this is the worst illustration of the swamp and corruption benefiting those with money and power. Without justice and an legal functioning justice system we are no better than a banana republic.
37
This death is a larger symptom of how unimportant the administration felt about the alleged crimes of Epstein. "El Chapo" was kept in the same prison and nothing happened to him. Why? Most likely because the administration cared enough about the politics of keeping him alive to make sure he was kept alive.
As for Epstein...he was just a moneyed, white male, accused of having some fun with some underaged women. To be clear, if that's what the higher-ups were thinking (consciously or not), his suicide was a given.
4
Are there no video recordings of his cell? Surely there must have been cameras in his cell. How is there no mention of this by anyone?
2
It was reported a few days ago that there were no cameras in the cells in that cell block.
3
Mr. Barr needs to be fired. But since he is the consigliere of the Trump Crime Family that won't happen.
The connection of Epstein and Donald Barr, Billy Boy's father, is interesting. Donald Barr hired Epstein to teach (without an undergraduate degree) at a private school, Dalton, in NYC and through that, Epstein met his first real 'elites'. The other interesting thing is that Donald Barr was a novelist on the side, writing two sci fi books about beings in outer space. But guess what those beings had? Sex slaves. I wonder if Donald and Jeffrey had scintillating, intellectual discussions about how they'd both like to have sex slaves?
Donald's son is a failure and should be fired. He has proven even before this that he is a liar and Trump's lawyer, not ours. This is icing on the poison cake. Fire him and let us never ever hear from him again. (Dream on, I know. Dream on).
18
William Barr is ultimately responsible. He is in charge of DOJ and BOP.
13
Well planned incompetence. It's all a ruse and a fake out.
22
> “He had apparently hanged himself with a bedsheet”
Why did a prisoner only recently removed from suicide watch have a normal sheet? A commenter on another article noted that flimsy sheets are standard in such cases.
7
"We have top men working on it right now."
"Who?"
"Top... men."
13
Not buying this. The notorious El Chapo was in the same prison, watched like a hawk. No problem. Now an infamous prisoner who was a pal of the president, who partied with him, and who knows what else with him, just happens to commit “suicide” while guards are “sleeping.” The Bureau of Prisons just happens to be run by the Department of Injustice which just happens to be run by the president’s personal attorney, William Barr, who just happens to be in charge of the investigation into what happened. This stinks to high heaven. I’m sorry if I’m just the least bit skeptical. This “investigation “ needs to be done by an outside independent counsel and it needs to go all the way to the top.
47
When all else fails blame The Private instead of The General. AG Barr has a track record of doing a Slight of Hand to take our attention away from the real story. Barr has no problem throwing the people low in the pecking order under the bus. His press conference the other day Barr was visibly upset with whoever dropped the ball on this one. Since Barr is The General should not he be upset with himself?
6
Easier for the guards to say they were asleep than to say they were paid off to do something or not see something.
35
“We will get to the bottom of what happened,” Mr. Barr said. I’ll tell you what likely happened. Two overextended and deeply fatigued guards failed in their duty to prevent this. Now after the fact and in full knowledge that they have created this problem the federal governments management will offer the guards up as scapegoats and wash their hands of it. We’ve been understaffing and underfunding crucial infrastructure and services countrywide since Reagan. You don’t need a conspiracy theory to understand this, only a working knowledge of how much we’ve hollowed out the basic structure of America’s government at the altar of a short sighted “cost cutting and efficiency” scheme that neither reduce overall costs nor create efficiency. Stuff like this happens all the time, we’ve only noticed now because its Jeffery Epstein and higher ups are embarrassed. Afterward it’ll be business as usual and nothing will change. Sad
26
@John Chastain
You've got it backwards. Most unionized government employees CRAVE overtime because of its time-and-a-half or double-time pay rates. The proof is right here in the Times - whenever compensation for an MTA repairman or NYPD officer is mentioned, their overtime pay is equal to and sometimes EXCEEDS their base salary.
These guards were playing PacMan with overtime dollars.... gobble, gobble, gobble, Zzzzzzz.
5
@Charles, I won't argue the often false portrayal of overtime vs base pay or the "CRAVE" vs required status of overtime. That wasn't my point. The overtime need exists because of under staffing and whether or not its desired is irrelevant. When you don't have sufficient staffing for regular shifts and constantly default to overtime to fill them then errors become common place and incidents occur. As far as your disparagement of public employees goes its a cheap shot. Most people union or otherwise do their jobs as expected and required. You have to be clueless or simply disingenuous to imply otherwise.
1
Whether they were asleep or not, whether he was still on suicide watch or not,
the descriptions of conditions, materials available, and the structure of cells still do not square with an inmate's ability to hang himself.
15
@Marjorie, you obviously believe you know something. As the survivor of a parent who committed suicide by hanging with his knees only a few inches from the floor trust me when I say he could have easily done it with a sheet and bunk bed. People are desperate to believe in conspiracy theories and it's really sad.
2
@Marjorie
He didn’t commit suicide. He was murdered to keep all of his secrets quiet. Trump was involved.,did you see the video of Trump and Epstein?
4
@Teresa Covert I am so sorry to hear of that tragedy in your family. And no, I do not "know something." I only know what I have heard and read from experts about this. And there was no bunk bed, there were no cloth sheets or gowns, despite him being off suicide watch, smooth ceilings, no light fixtures etc.. I am not "desperate" to believe anything, conspiracy theory or anything else. Logic and common sense do appeal to me, however, and the pieces aren't fitting here yet. Peace.
7
Officials should not only demand answers to how Mr. Epstein was able to commit suicide but also address the horrible conditions inside the federal institution.
5
Where’s the timestamped prison video of the sleeping guards?
It’s far too convenient to blame this on a pair of low-level employees whose union will portray them as overworked and exploited and therefore still entitled to their bloated taxpayer financed pensions.
Show me the video!
24
Baloney. There’s so much coverage on conjecture and various ways “the guards” negated their job they were sleeping they went to get a sandwich they were paid off....ad infinitum nothing will ever be explained enough for letting this man go free
6
The larger question is why is the facility understaffed to begin with? Is this another Republican “penny-wise and pound foolish “ cost cutting measure? A well run prison requires alert staffIng. Sure, well run prisons are fairly quiet and boring but those conditions make them safer for all concerned.
By the way, the responsibility for a well-run anything rests with management, not front line staff. Barr, this one is on you. Stop being so busy running interference for your boss and do your real job. Start with full staffing so no one gets exhausted doing overtime.
11
It wasn't the warden's fault the prison employees fell asleep on the job or falsified their reports. Yet the union leaders are defending the gross negligence of these employees and complaining the warden wasn't treated the same.
One of the guards requested the OT. For what, to get paid for sleeping on the job?
7:15A CDT
8/14/19
3
As a mental health professional with decades of experience (in US and Europe), I ask:
Why and how was Mr. Epstein taken off suicide watch?
24
The craziest thing about this case is that decades ago Barr's father hired Epstein as a teacher when Epstein was a freshly minted college dropout.
If I were a reporter I'd look at any other intersection between Epstein and the Barr family. It's a small world. But not that small.
45
Epstein was so important that two prosecutors, on the state and federal level, threw a slam dunk case that would have put him in jail for 25 years.
In New York, we are asked to believe that he wasn't so very important.
5
The guards were sleeping? This entire Ambien-infused society is asleep. The jails are full of people who should not be there and the people who should be there (like Epstein) walk among us.
In the case of the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan it sounds like the cameras should be trained as much on the guards as the inmates. There might be less sleeping.
4
Well, in some ways it's more excusable that guards were asleep than that AG Barr was wide-eyed in his corruption and scapegoating. But now the guards are so much easier to blame and help tie up the countless loose ends of this highly suspicious affair.
17
Sounds like the typical American workplace!!! Workers straining to make ends meet. This is what happens when you work long hours for little pay and have to work more hours just to get by, and work multiple jobs just to get by. All you do is work work and work and sleep if you can. If they were fairly paid they’d be able to be more professional, be awake when they should be awake etc. This is really no surprise.
13
I don't believe I read that he was being monitored, in fact I believe he was not being appropriately monitored. Now they say they falsified the records to say he was being monitored. Am I wrong or is this a change of story?
5
Very bold lying going on here. First time I ever heard anyone confess so quickly to a dereliction of duty. How did they ever get the guards to make these false confessions.
Saying that there was more than one psychiatrist who deviated from the standard of care does not turn a deviation into a standard practice.
14
Ineptness, incompetence, fatigue, neglect - whatever excuses you come up with - the outcome serves the needs of lots of others unless the Justice Department truly intends to pursue the allegations across the spectrum of people connected to Epstein. I am not holding my breath for the conslusion of the inquiries.
12
"What difference does it make?"
This famous quote from the wife of a man who had flown multiple times on this accused man's airplanes came to mind.q
All this hand wringing etc - is so typical of bureaucracy who are always interested in finding some one they can put all the blame on.
My question is was the government too aggressive in telling the judge to deny this man a bail under strictest of circumstances.
That Chinese woman - accused by our government in breaching sanctions etc - a very grave crime - she is out on bail and moving around Vancouver between her palatial homes.
My fear is the next time some case like thus comes up - indeed the Attorneys of the accused will point to this infamous precedent, get a bail - and then jump it.
4
@Neil
Meng Wanzhou is on bail in Vancouver because she isn't a flight risk, and we don't know if what she has done is a crime.
She will face an extradition hearing in 2020 to determine if she should be extradited to the USA.
If what she is accused isn't a crime in Canada, or the hearing doesn't find in favour of the USA, she will be released.
I agree that Epstein's case should be used as a motivation to bring prison standards up to where they should be.
2
"What difference does it make?"
This famous quote from the wife of a man who had flown multiple times on this accused man's airplanes came to mind.q
All this hand wringing etc - is so typical of bureaucracy who are always interested in finding some one they can put all the blame on.
My question is was the government too aggressive in telling the judge to deny this man a bail under strictest of circumstances.
That Chinese woman - accused by our government in breaching sanctions etc - a very grave crime - she is out on bail and moving around Vancouver between her palatial homes.
My fear is the next time some case like thus comes up - indeed the Attorneys of the accused will point to this infamous precedent, get a bail - and then jump it.
1
This seems so contrived, like a bad prison movie: all the guards fell asleep while the most infamous prisoner in the nation ceased living. Due to this alleged set of facts, everyone is transferred or put on leave of absence and are made to go away. All the irregularities that Barr is now complaining about were seemingly arranged. How do you have sleepy guards who weren't even guards and remain anonymous?
31
"Though it is standard practice to house people who have recently been taken off suicide watch with another person, the prison did not replace Mr. Epstein’s cellmate."
"Standard practice" has died a sudden death under the Trump administration, while "acting" directors and cabinet members have become the norm, with the caveat that the latter do not have to be confirmed by the Senate.
What can possibly go wrong?
11
When you work overtime the money's great, however when you work so much overtime that your family put's your face on a milk carton you know there's a problem.
These guards aren't responsible for staffing the prison but they did fail to follow procedures.
Someone needs to take responsibility for Epstein, maybe it should be the people who empowered him.
11
I don’t blame Barr for being appalled. This is inexcusable.
A hiring freeze. Then using non-guard employees to plug holes for inadequate staffing, and forced overtime killed Epstein.
The head of the Justice Department should take responsibility and resign today.
Small government on the cheap does not work.
25
Could someone have given the guards drugged coffees? Why were BOTH guards sleeping during the most important assignment of their lives, while guarding a high potential suicide or homicide risk VIP prisoner? An immediate drug test should be called for the guards.
11
@Rafael
Oh please. No more conspiracy theories.
@Rafael
Maybe you are right - but according to the news, the woman guard had worked her 5th 16-hour day. (no word on whether when she gets home she has kids and other duties to attend to).
I would think that in itself may have contributed to her falling asleep.
1
@Rafael. To Vivian and Diane: The sleeping is understandable, but not at the same time. for 3 hours straight. Wouldn't they have at least alternated their naps, while the other stood guard? The conspiracy label should not be used to deflect from serious questions.
5
Any person who finds him/herself in jail would be likely to feel suicidal, wether guilty or innocent. As this was a pre trial facility even the most likely guilty are presumed innocent. We, the american people, have a responsibility to protect presumed innocent people from being overwhelmed and taking their own lives. Not all of them are Jefferry Epsteins, some are Sandra Blands, or the young man who spent 3 years at rikers island awaiting trial for stealing a backpack.
7
In Jail suicide is 100% preventable. Its a control environment. Now the corruptions and covered up by those trusted to do a job is violated at every turn. Remember MDC in Brooklyn where inmates where left without heat, hot water and light. This is a systematic problem.
9
Why all this vitriol against workers and unions? These workers, poorly paid given NYC standard of living, and are being pilloried because their boss required them to work multiple shifts, repeatedly. But the boss has been strangled by the DOJ with lack of funding, no federal leadership, and a hiring freeze. What's happening to this country when we deny our roles, and that of government, big money, the stock market, and banks in demeaning and victimizing our workers.
24
Number one: thirty minute checks would not be a deterrent to suicide, even if they had been conducted. Number two: a cellmate would never be a way to ensure someone's safety. That the most ridiculous statement I have ever heard. A cellmate can sleep soundly, or be the source of some risk themselves. They are NOT paid employees responsible for keeping Epstein safe. If these were the guardrails, completely inadequate. So let's stop with this non-sense. Attorney General William Barr provided a whole rationale as to why he would NOT recuse from this case. So Attorney General William Barr, the buck stops with you. He should have been monitored wherever he needed to be by professionals. Like El Chapo was. Period. Stop blaming people who were not equipped to maintain the safety of the most prominent prisoner in America, because they could not make decisions to ensure his safety like Attorney General William Barr could.
26
Has the ME definitely stated whether the death was a suicide or a homicide.
2
It certainly took the prison authorities long enough to come up with THAT story ... which if true, they would have learned almost immediately after Epstein's mysterious death.
They now put the warden on "temporary" re-assignment instead of permanent termination which is exactly what it should have been!
6
The most high profile prisoner )besides el Chappo), that I can recall, to be placed in that facility in 31 years and no special care was taken to insure he made it to trial? Even after a previous suicide attempt? And knowing how many exorbitantly rich, corrupt, people that may have been exposed by him? Taken off of suicide watch, no cell mate, two guards asleep, for 3 hours, at the same time! Huh. Security camera? And now it’s all the gaurds fault, one forced to take the overtime. at best this was suicide aided by negligence at worst it was purposefully aided by “negligence”. People higher up than the guards need to be held accountable.
31
@Myrtle Wilson
From this far away, I agree. Far too many curious circumstances colliding (colluding ?) with a most convenient end-of-life, however it happened.
4
FBI is just now raiding the Virgin Islands estate? Who is watching Mark Epstein move all of his brother's assets offshore if they weren't there already?
Money laundering, tax evasion, blackmailing. Alot of reasons that US should be acting quickly to bring estate to justice.
12
Enough. Before all else make sure the body is the body.
7
@Bahooha 848thats so smart. Epstein probably somewhere living the high life. Never thought of that.
1
Andy of Mayberry would never have exhibited this much poor judgement, incompetence, or dishonesty. True, the town drunk had his own jail cell key, but he was never suicidal. This is no sitcom; justice for victims is now in jeopardy. The buck stops with AG Bill Barr, not with Deputy Barney Fife.
8
I had an acquaintance who worked for a major transportation entity. He worked as a "checker" on the equipment at night. He'd sign off on the work done on the equipment by the maintenance people for the next day's runs.
This transportation entity has many maintenance workers and checkers.
The checkers come in every night, work for about 45 minutes total signing off on maintenance forms they never even checked, then went to bed for the night on company time.
If you think these "guards" just happened to fall asleep and falsify records this one particular night, I have a couple of bridges I'd love to sell you.
They "guards" punch in every night, take a look around, then go to bed. This is what was going before, during and will be going on again as soon as the brass leaves the building.
It's all a scam that doesn't get attention until something like the Epstein death occurs.
Funny how the scam just happened to be exposed by Epstein's corpse this time. It's just such a convenient tragedy for so many very prominent people. I wonder how it could have been allowed to happen?
lol
9
This entire episode smells, very badly, and most have a clear opinion as to what caused his death. How convenient for so many in power.
7
There is a business saying when one person complains it is as if 100 people are complained, in other words if it happens to one person you can assume it has happened to 100 people. I can guarantee you the maleficence and incompetence displayed with Epstein has happened 100 times before to anonymous and nothing was done and nobody cared
4
Wow, government workers sleep on the job, then lie to pretend like they were working?
This is me being shocked.
2
What do they expect? We pay these people next to nothing and then place them in an awful job. Would you like to do this every day? That's why I TRY to be nice to TSA (really hard!) and WalMart checkers, but seriously they have a glam job compared to prison guard.
They get paid at the bottom of the wage scale, deal with vile people, and are commanded to work overtime. Easy to place blame. Maybe we should stop paying for Trump's golf trips and hire a few more guards.
10
Were the two guards given a sleeping potion? The plot thickens.
2
I’m just curious how they know the guards were sleeping, were they caught on camera?
6
Nothing so clearly dubious has ever happened with very high profile inmates at this facility - ever!. To think that ineptitude of this magnitude was simply “coincidental” and allowed to happen challenges credulity in every way. Lots of VIPs had much to lose in an open trial-after all, it’s about the trafficking and sexual abuse of children. Apparently, their hope is that this is a mute issue now. While some people claim that the NY jail facility is managed by the federal government, it seems that people in NY made the accused go away- the how is less relevant, though still important. Is this far fetched? Not really when you think how the NY money class worked OT to get convicted spy Jonathan Pollard released.
5
Are we still really pointing fingers at the guards? And are we still saying, "apparently" committed suicide?
7
How ironic. Two guards who fell asleep will no doubt be charged with a Federal Crime; and yet the "president", who is asleep at the switch in terms of the U. S. Economy, pushing it into Recession, goes free.
6
Incompetence., they should all 3 be fired. No pension no more tax payer money given to them. I don’t want to pay government workers for the rest of their lives. Government pensions need to be eliminated!! (Maybe military service can be an exception.). How is it fair these people milk the system get pensions then go get another job on top of the pensions. ELIMINATE pensions. The US rewards incompetence.
2
Somehow they were able to keep alive high level terrorists, El Chapo, and mafiasos for their value in implicating others. The only difference is that Epstein’s information may have incriminated the rich and powerful Clinton, Trump, Prince Andrew, Dershowitz, Ehud Barak so it was purposely not made a priority to keep him alive. The American people predicted this gross negligent failure of our justice system and had to sit helplessly watch it happen. The legal system is what made this country great and without confidence in it we have nothing.
8
Let me get this straight. The one overseeing this investigation is the one ultimately responsible for the department in which it occurred?
10
One guard was working for 'extra overtime pay', presumably because the prison was fundamentally understaffed.
The second officer, a woman who was assigned to that wing, had been ordered to work overtime because the jail was in fact short staffed.
Republican public policy at a federal prison on display in all its finest:
Underfund the government, understaff the government and let the government fail at its job.....and let the 0.1% have a tax welfare celebration and miscarriage of justice bonanza !
"Taxes and justices are only for the little people"
GOP 2019
Remember on November 3 2020.
98
@Socrates Exactly. That shows that the guv'mint don't work. That's why we need more private for profit prisons.
(Good to see you back, Socrates. You used to be my favorite NYT columnist with Gemli, but you both disappeared for a while.)
1
Never underestimate the incompetence or assume the competence of those in the most important positions in our society.
14
@b d'amico
This is exactly what the GOP wants: Install incompetents to prove the incompetency of government, in order to make a case for weakening government.
3
It would be interesting to find out if the Prison System routinely audits video against logbook entries to ensure discipline. If not, why?
8
Another blow to credibility. Guards sleeping. No surveillance cameras. No cellmate. Inmate taken off suicide watch.
I don't want to suspect some kind of foul play. I hate the idea that conspiracy theories affect public opinion, but this seems like a perfect storm to insure that people are suspicious.
Then the guards are fired, but the warden is put on administrative leave. Who is making these decisions? What's going on?
451
@Betsy S Excellent question. Let's fine tune it. Who initiated the hiring freeze and why? Who is responsible for the shortage of guards and the poor quality of psychiatric care? Who cuts budgets, starves the beast and then invests in private prisons? Epstein is outrageous tabloid raw material, but the real story is what has happened to our government in general and the BOP in particular. Every day I check the news for this story. I'm still checking. Brenner and Ivory made a start, but they are far from finished.
31
"Then the guards are fired, but the warden is put on administrative leave."
Actually, the guards were put on administrative leave (pending being fired(?)), and the warden was transferred.
12
@Betsy S Yes, it is not credible enough to be a movie plot certainly. Barr needs to recuse himself and have this investigated by a third party that doesn't report to him.
16
What? Were the "guards" (also now reported variously as clerks, secretaries, others...pressed into service for the highest visibility prisoner) too tired to do the minimum of a peek no and then on their most prized prisoner? With Barr in charge and Epstein no longer behind bars the answers had better be better than the Mueller Report review statement by Barr. A lot of important people are sleeping better, perhaps as well as the apparently comatose guards. If the guards were overworked, and I do not doubt this, the management was seriously underworked.
32
Readers of this article friendly with corrections officers know this story all to well. Whether the unions are to blame, poor management, the nature of the job, or all of the above, this is a familiar story.
Guards manipulate their work schedules for one significant reason above all else: to maximize lucrative overtime pay. One of my friends refers to his eight hour shifts as a “half day” because he almost always will swap shifts with a partner that allow both to work longer shifts that generate overtime pay. Of course this increases both worker fatigue and taxpayer costs. Not an ideal scenario.
Although these guards are not supposed to be using their phones at work, that rule is clearly not enforced. Sleeping on the job is still somewhat frowned upon, but happens routinely.
One would think that a high profile inmate like Epstein would elicit something other than the job performance that these two guards displayed, but if I could get away with sleeping on the job for so many years, I question whether I would act differently.
30
You hit the nail on the head. Let's see a list of overtime I guarantee many double or triple their base salary. The system allows and encourages it.
5
The over time was forced and one was not a guard. She was forced to do that too.
Barr at the Dept. of Justice mandated his minions be overworked, and non guards fill in for any who quit due to his hiring freeze.
10
@Bill Milledge Re: "Readers of this article friendly with corrections officers know this story all to well. " The Federal Government has excelled at guarding and keeping alive high value detainees awaiting trial. The last time I can recall a pre-trial death, of this magnitude, was Jack Ruby's timely murder of Lee Harvey Oswald. See the connection.
5
America’s mass incarceration system isn’t designed to carry out justice. It’s purpose is societal control such that the powers that be are protected from social or political upheaval. This is one of the rare moments where we get to see how American prisons really operate.
31
They definitely need to monitor the bank accounts and recent purchases of the MCC employees at all levels who were responsible for keeping Epstein unharmed while he was in the MCC. However, even this comment makes certain assumptions about what might or might not have happened to Epstein. Regardless, it is a fantastical story.
25
As a lawyer who has represented prisoners in cases challenging conditions, this happens all the time. The people claiming conspiracy just do not understand the actual conditions in our jails and prisons all over the country. Prisoners in special housing are supposed to be monitored every 30 minutes. Logs will indicate monitoring every 30 minutes while the guards, who are short-staffed, are asleep, or have too many duties to actually do the monitoring. And even if there’s video, someone has to actually be watching it for that to help. There are dozens and dozens of suicides in jails and prisons each year in virtually the exact same circumstances. Someone is removed from some version of suicide watch, moves out into different housing, and commits suicide. That this happened to a high profile prisoner only highlights just how inadequate mental health treatment and monitoring is in our institutions.
96
@Alabama Resident
I may well be misinformed, but it is my understanding that Mr. Epstein's suicide was the first of its kind in this facility for 19 years (at least).
15
@Alabama Resident. Do you not believe that a prisoner with intelligence on the criminal activities of a current Presidents, a former President, and Queen Elizabeth's son would receive the same caliber of security as your imprisoned clients in Alabama.
16
Enough with the conspiracy theories, already! "Never ascribe to malice what can be better explained by incompetence." I think Richard Hofstadder said that. It's a nice variation on Occam's Razor, actually. Two tired guards (whose biggest mistake actually was falsifying the records rather than napping, as at least the napping was explainable due to exhaustion) and a warden who was too willing to believe that Epstein was no longer a threat to himself are more than enough to explain what happened. My question is, how often has this situation happened? If guards routinely sleep on the job, then we have our answer. If this is the only occurrence, then we can talk about suspicious activities. The lack of a cellmate is also unfortunate, but again, they probably figured he'd get one the next morning so what was the big deal?
17
@Liz There isn't a conspiracy theory until the end of the investigation. Until then, they're all leads for the investigation to follow. And by the way, the investigation is being handled by the same "Justice" Department that tacitly allowed this to happen while the defendant was under its own care.
I'm sick and tired of excuses. I'm sick and tired of people who consider everything they don't understand or refuse to accept a "conspiracy theory".
And for the love of god, I'm sick and tired of hearing about "Occam's Razor".
Listen, these weren't just some sleepy guards. Do you really believe this was a one-off? Do you think they just happened to falsify records on that one night? They did this every night. Punch in, take a look around, go to bed, wake up in the morning, go home, do what you like all day because you just got paid to go to bed for the night.
3
The most high profile prisoner in the country and two guards are sleeping at the same time? No cell phone alarms?
Officials might have well claimed that the guards were out "hiking the Appalachian Trail". Either excuse would be just as preposterous.
234
@rab The sleeping actually occurs quite frequently in facilities where guards are mandated to work 80 hours a week.
4
@Dee
This was no ordinary prisoner. The consequences for falling asleep in this case were beyond career threatening for correctional officers. Common sense suggests that they would at least take turns sleeping. And it being reported as the same three hour sleep period of time is way too convenient an explanation, but one that does not wash with the gravity of the situation. By the way, NASA recently proved that a 26 minute power nap increases one's level of alertness by 50%.
Better yet Dee, let's you and me role play:
rab: Gee Dee I'm pretty tired, I think I'll take a three hour nap
Dee; Me too rab, I'm exhausted. lets take a three hour break from checking on Epstein, what could possibly go wrong?
rab: You're right Dee, he was in such good spirits the last time I checked. Pleasant dreams Dee
20
In an era where cameras are everywhere including the elevators in the condo building where I live why wasn't there video surveillance of Epstein's cell? The reliance on understaffed, overworked, poorly trained guards seems outdated and even more costly than a high-tech video control room. Such surveillance is how the Boston marathon bombers were caught about a decade ago. And, there are well-trained, professionals and companies that can monitor the surveillance cameras 24/7. These are the "serious irregularities" not guards forced to work double shifts. This is part of the dilapidated, outmoded infrastructure that the Trump administration and its swamp creatures are unwilling to fix.
116
@Paul Wortman Great point. Here's another conspiracy theory: the lack of cameras in each cell is on purpose, to avoid liability for misbehavior by prison officials.
39
@Paul Wortman Exactly! there is not one inch of my apartment building that is not on camera and then when I walk down the street I am on all the other building's cameras. But a jail has no cameras and apparently plenty of quiet places to get a couple of hors sleep while getting paid by the taxpayers!
11
@Paul Wortman
I assume the reason for no surveillance canera is Epstein’s cell was because it would have disclosed what actually happened that night.
6
The guards are taking the fall obviously, but we really need to know if anyone in the jail chain of command was bribed, threatened or offered other "inducements" to set this all up?
101
@George Campbell. Doesn't it seem likely that one (or both) of these sleepy "guards" has a nice new, very quiet, bank account somewhere?
Still a far-too convenient sequence of events.
-Presumed suicide attempt by extremely high-profile prisoner jailed for commission of an especially serious crime.
-Removal from prisoner from suicide watch after a mere 6 days, allegedly at the request of prisoner’s attorneys.
-No cell mate, in contravention of established policy.
-Assignment of a guard working 5th day of overtime and a second, substitute guard.
-Guards simultaneously fall asleep on night shift and falsify records. Guards placed on administrative leave.
-Warden transferred, but not placed on leave.
As I predicted 2 days ago, blame is being laid at the. -level employees.
197
@ANetliner - and all this sleeping on the job, both guards at once, just happened to be at same the time that Epstein chose to make his suicide attempt. What an unfortunate coincidence. Oh well, case closed.
18
@ANetliner Don't forget that no prisoner has committed suicide at the MCC in 21 years before Jeff came along.
5
once the voters accepted the DNC debacle Clinton vs Sanders in the primary and the Trump "victory" it was green light for obvious foul play acceptance by the masses in all political corners. The guards "falling asleep" is hollywood B film writing at its best. So ridiculous that Foster the People make more sense at this point.
15
I fear there is more to this story than we will ever know. Money a d power have myriad ways of overcoming truth.
68
I worked in a very professional and therapeutic psychiatric hospital in the early 80s. On occasion evening staff were asked to work a double shift because of staffing problems. I did not like to do a double because I hated trying to stay up all night. It was called “snoozing for dollars” by some staff. They would set up chairs and blankets and take turns sleeping. Security staff would use empty rooms to sleep during their “breaks”. Fortunately there were no incidents.
It was the culture of night shift.
40
I think of myself as being a person who does not buy into conspiracy theories. I am willing to accept the explanation that Mr. Epstein’s death was not prevented as a result of employees at MCC sleeping and failing to check on him. What gives me pause is that apparently Mr. Epstein’s cell was not subject to video surveillance. I simply cannot understand how this happened at a place like MCC that should have more than adequate CCTV coverage, especially for high profile high risk prisoners. Now that really makes me wonder.
326
There may be some type of privacy issues since the cameras are not simply used to monitor, but to record as well; however, why he was left without a cell mate requires an answer.
30
@Nancy Warder
"I think of myself as being a person who does not buy into conspiracy theories."
Same here, and yet it would not surprise me in the least if Epstein is alive. And living in the utmost luxury.
7
@Nancy Warder Yeah, you don't have to be a conspiracy theorist to think something fishy is up here. You just need common sense. As you said, no video camera on him? And everything else that just so happened to fall in place perfectly (two guards falling asleep, lol). I hope no one is dense enough to believe the story given to us by the govt.
2
The notion that the guards were sleeping is regarded as laughable by some; I think they are mistaken.
What strains credulity is the fact that apparently no one involved acted on any doubts as to whether Mr. Epstein would make it through his confinement (unless some did and were ignored), even after an initial reported suicide attempt. Why did so many trust all would be well? On the other hand, it is not easy to believe that murder by negligence would have seemed a satisfying strategy.
What seems to the point is the 'trains run on time' consideration. Decent administration of any government function takes commitment, time and energy. The shortage of adequate prison guard staff has been addressed via overtime. You can probably include child, elder and mental health care as other near examples.
The big boys like military spending.
Sooner or later a fuller explanation of how the union allowed the kind of overtime that was ongoing might emerge. When you mix long hours with an eccentric sleep cycle it shouldn't surprise anyone that some are going to conk out. On the other hand, those guys are getting money big enough to fund kickbacks.
As often as we are reminded of the courage, sacrifice and commitment of police officers, we rarely salute the prison guards whose difficult and dangerous work is needed in a country of laws. Not much appreciated because out of the spotlight.
40
In the real world, people who work 2nd and 3rd shift jobs do find a way to catch a catnap when they get an opportunity. Millions of people work long hours to make ends meet and that is a fact of life. The question should be asked is how was this same facility able to keep other high profile prisoners from harming themselves? Were the protocols used with El Chapo used with Epstein and if they were not why? Ramzi Yousef and John Gotti were held at MCC without incident. Now we are being spoon-fed That The Bucks Stops with The Guards. People are starting to believe there was no real effort to prevent Epstein from harming himself because Dead Men Tell No Tales! No matter how ridicules all of this looks this made-up story of Keystone Cops is working. So Far.
348
@Steven McCain. I've done plenty of night shifts in my younger days and no-one slept. There was a job to do and we did it. If one of us had slept you can bet that our coworkers who had to pick up the slack would have made it very clear that it would be the first and only time.
4
@Steven McCain In this administration, the buck always stops somewhere else. No one ever assumes responsibility.
5
@Andrew You are unique Bravo. I worked many double shifts and when you could you did.
Barr doesn't mess around. It's a shame he didn't get more involved in the power/heat outage at Brooklyn MDC this past winter, when electricity and partial heat were out for the coldest week of the year. This was swift and just.
12
@AACNY I question the first statement of your comment. Barr doesn't mess around?! What do you think it did vis-a-vis Mueller and the report? Whole lota messing around going on there, don't you think? Also, unprone as I am to dabble in conspiracies, does anyone out there have information on whether Barr, in person, was much seen around the prison even before this fiasco occurred, as has been reported by several sources? This business is far from over and done with and even further from "swift and Just".
16
@Tony's mom
Barr acted appropriately and swiftly. He is also consistent. He refused to further politicize the Mueller report, and he refused to charge Comey, despite the IG's recommendation to do so.
Removing people is a first step. Investigating comes next. I have every confidence a full investigation will ensue and Barr will respond responsibly.
I also expect regardless of what he does that Trump critics will find fault.
@Tony's mom We all know Barr's character . . . Epstein's gone, now the driving force is to keep what he could have exposed well hidden. Do I believe the guards are at fault here, absolutely not, unless they were rewarded by those protecting that hidden dirt.
We have now gotten to the bottom of the miscarriage of justice and protocol. These two guards will be punished mightily. The warden shall be reassigned pending an upcoming cabinet appointment.
206
@John C You think? Don't forget, AG Barr's father was the person who gave Epstein his first job-- teaching math to young girls and boys (and later fired for displaying "inappropriate" behavior to the former while doing so) at the Dalton School.
15
You mean ‘acting’ Secretary...
3
The head of the Bureau of Prisons is an ACTING director. This is what happens when we have temps running our government.
312
@Kevin it’s what happens when you have a House of Representatives that deliberately resists a presidential mandate for their own political purposes.
18
@Lazlo K. Hud The House doesn't confirm appointments.
108
@Lazlo K. Hud
The Senate, which is controlled by Republicans, confirms nominees. Most appointments have been approved, with some held by either Democrats or Republicans, usually over questions of basic competence.
The Trump administration has failed to nominate individuals for many open positions, either through lack of interest or because qualified people don't want to work in this administration. Trump blames Democrats for his own administration's failure to nominate.
In this particular case, Trump's previous nominee resigned over a year ago and he hasn't nominated someone else (that I can find).
177
Couldn’t keep the prisoner secure or conveniently didn’t try, despite ample personnel and monitoring technology. Two prisoners, both with much to say about the rich, powerful and connected, the warped ways of our law enforcement and Justice Department apparatus, are dead since Mr. Trump took office. Others who spoke out, also destroyed. Mr. Epstein was in the care of those with greatest incentive to lose the prisoner. I ask again, why would any material witness come forward only to end up maligned, in custody and/or dead? As the guilty evade and gain more Constitutionally unchecked power. Masterfully, only after a document purge identifying Democratic stalwarts and well known foreign policy Negotiators as the latest trashed Villains and red herrings. The message is quite clear.
44
Sleeping?! My little brother could come up with a better excuse than that... O.o
153
Barr can bloviate all he wants about this miscarriage of justice, but isn't he as Attorney General partly responsible for the shortage of prison staff and the sleeping overtimers? Meanwhile, Trump needs to keep playing golf and quit blaming the Clintons. It's absurd!
664
@Preserving America The head of the prison guards' union said on CNN yesterday that the most recent federal government shutdown affected the hiring of guards negatively.
31
I’d be lying if I said I expected better from jailers. I am sure they’ll get their pensions or retire with some type of disability after this blows over and live happily after in Florida.
36
I initially thought "good riddance" when Epstein died. But that changed when we first learned about the lapse in protocol. I never thought I'd say it, but now I hope the BOP gets sued. Hard to believe this is the first time a travesty like this has happened. We just haven't heard about it because the inmate wasn't as high-profile. Remember, Gideon and Miranda were sleazeballs themselves.
31
Hmmmmm....so no one suspects that the prison officers just might have been told to look the other way ?
513
@Peter Falk Maybe Epstein paid them to look the other way.
10
@Peter Falk - Or bribed to look the other way? Either by any of the many feeling threatened, or by Epstein himself? Generally I detest conspiracy theories, but this death seemed inevitable.
38
@Peter Falk I'm sure some do, but it's also very plausible that two guards, both taking overtime in the night, just fell asleep and then tried to cover their tracks.
20
You can bet the mortgage that Barr will flex his muscles by firing some MCC employees but he's the one who should lose his job by not taking the lead to ensure Epstein would be alive to face trial. Barr and Trump are cut from the same cloth, always projecting their failures on others.
569
This series of unfortunate events is being played out to sound like the fault of a few low-echelon employees of the New York prison system. I fear "It just ain't so, boys. it just ain't so". if all that there is to be told ever reaches the front pages of the legitimate press, which facility will hold the perpetrators of this dastardly case?
18
@nzierler
A job or assignment in one of these facilities doesn’t just happen. Certainly not one as plum as (not) watching over a Golden Goose.
Mr. Barr’s Daddy hired Mr. Epstein at Dalton. Is this where the Barr tender family learned the currency value of information on the rich, powerful, and connected? What is the value of Mr. Epstein’s currency?
Jeff Berman is Rudy Giuliani’s former law partner. Mr. Giuliani is Mr. Trump’s personal lawyer. Is the SDNY truly neutral?
Mr. Acosta resigned from this administration, essentially recusing himself from further involvement, which proved timely and smart. Why couldn’t Mr. Berman and Mr. Barr do the same?
The “former” cell mate and apparent death row companion (a known master manipulator and accused murderer) was close with Bernie Kerik, disgraced former NYC police Commissioner, appointed by Mr. Giuliani. Did he handle the latest jail house Interrogation of Mr. Epstein? A real Horse Whisperer, right? Is he an informant or cooperating witness? What will he trade or must he end up dead too?
23
@nzierler
Barr’s job is safe and secure. Someone has to protect Trump at all costs.
6
And this prison successfully help El Chapo prisoner? And why was the warden not fired? Or at least put under investigation by someone other than Barr's corrupt DOJ?
115
And this is a surprise?!?
The jail guards were not doing what they were supposed to is a not a surprise to anyone with any contact with jail or penitentiary.
How do you think all the contraband gets into jail?
75
A woman who was not even employed as a guard was forced to work overtime will be blamed for the death of Jeffery Epstein. How ironic.
The man who committed crime after crime against women got his way in the end because of a woman and a bedsheet.
397
@MIMA Not the women's fault. If TPTB wanted Epstein alive, they would have assigned the best they had to the job. This was intentional.
41
@MIMA
Retired BOP psychologist here (female, if you’re interested). Please know that in the federal system, all employees are trained to work as COs. We all have to qualify on weapons, etc. In fact, during times of short staffing, we were often pulled from our own jobs and required to work a custody post. We got sick of hearing “remember, you’re all correctional workers first!” as our own work piled up. So, nothing unusual there.
Some of the posts I was used for during routine situations: armed perimeter patrol, armed escort for a hospital trip, housing unit officer (supervising 130 or so male inmates). In emergencies, we did whatever was needed.
I understand that since I retired a few years ago, the staff shortage has just gotten worse. I can’t remember anyone ever doing 5 OTs in a week, unless there was a lockdown. Exhausted people mess up. This was just a bad time to do it.
15
@MIMA I'm not so sure Epstein got his way. Epstein's first failed attempt was likely seen by the psychologist (or other mental health professional) who took him off suicide precautions as manipulative in nature, seeking attention and sympathy, which is not uncommon for sex offenders. I spent a career working with delinquents, many of whom were sex offenders. This second sucessful attempt may have also been manipulative in nature, but went bad when the guards fell asleep! We'll likely never know for sure, but assuming a guy worth millions would want to die BEFORE he hires the best lawyers seems very out of character for a predator that Epstein appears to have been.
8
In the real world employees guilty of such gross incompetence and laziness would be terminated, but those working for Uncle Sugar with guaranteed lifetime jobs are transferred and counseled. At least this puts to bed the conspiracy theories.
27
@Mike
It does not put the conspiracy ideas “to bed.” Nice pun. :)
Somebody could have intentionally put Ambien or some other sleep inducer in their coffee that evening or sprinkled on the donuts that happened to be in the lobby that evening just to let all workers know they are being appreciated for their hard work. You make the guards feel sleepy to the point where it is impossible for them to stay awake. Epstein has already been tipped off they will be “put to sleep” so to speak.
7
Not quite, Sugar Plum... That’s the beauty of conspiracy theories... They never really die, even when they’re supposed to.
3
For Republicans, "accountability" in the case of Benghazi meant accountability all the way to the top - to then Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton. But in the case of Epstein, "accountability" stops at the guards and the warden.
Attorney General William Barr acts like an investigative third party, rather than the individual at the top of the direct chain of command. I hope someone will point out the hypocrisy.
957
@Polyglot8
Great post, but no one will point out the hypocrisy. Instead we discuss conspiracy theories espoused by Trump who I am quite certain still hasn’t realized this death came under his watch.
55
@Polyglot8
'We will get to the bottom of what happened.'
The thing is, there is no bottom to Barr or this cult of an administration. Nothing to figure out.
Cut costs, be understaffed, be indifferent, lie, write in false entries, (a Federal crime) lie some more, pretend to be shocked, lie some more, pretend to 'investigate, lie, point the finger in three different directions away from those in charge, avoid responsibility, then lie about it all again.
This is the gop writ large incarnate.
'The crooked deal cannot stand' Where did the crooked deal come from in the first place? From crooks, that's where.
Good citizens of the United States of America: Vote out all gop for the sake of life on Earth itself. That is, if we can all get past the crooked voter suppression and vote-count theft that seems to be the only skill they obsess about.
80
@JMM
Monumental mistake by Trump to blame Clinton for Epstein's death.
Trump is actually begging the world to ask the most important question:
WHO has ACCESS and CONTROL over the Justice Department to arrange the elimination of Epstein?
Answer: Trump
29
Most untried federal prisoners are held in county jails on contract with the USMS. Some of the Intergovernmental Agreements on online. None of them require any sort of mental health services. None of them require 25 square feet per inmate. None of them require a law library. None of them require any sort of entertainment or recreation. None of them have any standards about the food. None of them have any standards about jail operations. My opinion is that DoJ wants its untried prisoners to be scared, uncomfortable and uninformed so that as many as possible will plea bargain. They might have thought that Epstein would plea if offered a transfer to a low security facility similar to the federal prison that Martha Stewart stayed in. In a low security facility, prisoners are allowed out of their cells during the day, there are some sort of activities, and the other inmates are less likely to assault an older man. BOP has not shown any interest in using RIFD tags to track prisoner and guard movements like they do boxes.
21
30 minute checks, even done correctly, are not enough to prevent asphyxiation which takes about 4 minutes. In addition, you can make an environment ligature resistant, but almost never ligature proof. Financial decisions- deciding not to hire enough people so that staff are not forced to work when exhausted did not help. Finally it is very common for persons like Mr. Epstein to inspire feelings of strong dislike or even revulsion in persons who are assigned to oversee them. No need for conspiracy theories- this is a toxic brew in which prisoners of much less notoriety are at risk as well.
129
@Lou
It’s not even 8:00 AM yet and already I’ve learned something. I had no idea what “ligature proof” meant, so I looked it up. I read about “anti ligature,” a topic I was previously (totally) unaware of. Thanks for the learning opportunity.
And I totally agree with your overall point!
7
Yes. Good points, all. And given that Epstein was not expected to stand trial in NY until next summer, it’s fair to assume that there would have been many more lapses of protocol in one of the federal BOP’s most notorious facilities.
5
@Lou Survelliance camera should have been placed in the cell with a monitor similar to a hospital. The whole thing stinks to high heaven and were the prison officials paid off to look the other way.
13
The House Judiciary Committee thinks that Mr. Epstein, through his suicide, was "allowed to ultimately evade justice." Could the same also be said of a mass shooter shot dead by police?
In a certain technical sense maybe. But not truly. Evading justice surely ought to mean getting away with something.
He paid with his life, so I don't think he really got away with anything.
19
Asleep at the wheel? And then (of course) falsifying the records to cover up their negligence? Well, surprise, surprise, surprise. I certainly hope that the “temporary” reassignment of the warden and the workers put on administrative leave turns into a permanent situation. Otherwise they, too, will have gotten away with a slap on the wrist. I can just hear Bill Barr now, whispering “it’s only until all the commotion dies down. Then we’ll be back to business as usual.” We’ll be watching, A.G. Barr. We’ll be watching.
118
Yes yes, the warden shall have a more enduring change of job status because of this travesty, Secretary of Labor.
22
Literally asleep at the switch!
How about having something as simple as a baby monitor with AI checking for unusual cell activity, especially during the night?
206
@Andrew B probably a union thing in an effort to protect jobs.
2