(Washington, DC) – Today, Mayor Muriel Bowser and the United States Marshals Service (USMS) announced that the District and the USMS have signed a Memorandum of Understanding outlining how both parties will work to collaborate on improving conditions at the DC Department of Corrections (DOC) Central Detention Facility (CDF).
“We all agree: everyone who is in our jail or under our supervised care should be treated humanely and have safe conditions,” said Mayor Bowser. “We appreciate this collaboration with the U.S. Marshals Service and are ready to utilize the necessary resources, both federal and local, to improve conditions and address any deficiencies at our DOC facilities.”
According to the terms of the agreement, the District and the USMS will collaboratively assess conditions at the CDF and develop a plan to address concerns. In accordance with the District’s continued commitment to transparency and accountability, the USMS will regularly report on the DOC’s progress on implementing identified corrective actions to various stakeholders, including the USMS, District government, and the judiciary.
“The MOU provides a collaborative opportunity to accelerate one of the Mayor’s priorities to improve systems and services throughout the justice system. My team is committed to supporting the efforts of the DOC and coordinating services across the whole of District government to implement all terms of the agreement and advance the conditions in both the CDF and CTF,” said Deputy Mayor for Public Safety and Justice Chris Geldart.
This agreement represents a critical part of the District’s multipronged plan for correcting deficiencies in the DOC’s secure facilities and ensuring the District is providing an orderly, safe, secure, and humane environment for the confinement of pretrial detainees and sentenced inmates while also providing meaningful opportunities for community reintegration.