Department of Corrections Refuses to Release Stabbing Data

dcogcadmin | March 12, 2010

The Washington City Paper’s Jason Cherkis reported on his efforts to obtain data from the D.C. Department of Corrections regarding the number of incidents in which inmates have been stabbed in the D.C. Jail.  Over the course of a few weeks, the department replied that they were collecting the data; Cherkis wondered why producing this type of information would take so long.  As he reports,

The Washington City Paper’s Jason Cherkis reported on his efforts to obtain data from the D.C. Department of Corrections regarding the number of incidents in which inmates have been stabbed in the D.C. Jail.  Over the course of a few weeks, the department replied that they were collecting the data; Cherkis wondered why producing this type of information would take so long.  As he reports,

Finally, on March 4, [spokesperson Sylvia] Lane refused to hand over the DOC’s stats on stabbing incidents. The reason: It’s a security issue. Lane wrote in an email: "At this time, due to the security issues associated with this request, the data will not be released."

An earlier story on the City Paper’s City Desk blog observed that data on assaults within the D.C. Jail has been hard to come by, even for D.C. Councilmember Phil Mendelson, who chairs the Committee on Public Safety and the Judiciary.  A commission tasked with oversight of the department’s facilities has not been staffed sinced 2006.  Washington City Paper