ALEXANDRIA, LOUISIANA — Staff at the Winn Correctional Center in Louisiana used a prohibited chokehold to restrain a detainee, and an officer at the facility stabbed a detainee in the hand with a pen, according to a report by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Inspector General. The report also cited sanitary issues such as leaking ventilation systems and deteriorating ceiling insulation.
The DHS Inspector General reviewed video footage of use-of-force incidents during an unannounced inspection of the facility. The pen stabbing occurred after an officer was unable to close a housing unit door. The Inspector General's report stated that the officer involved in the stabbing received disciplinary action.
Staff at the facility used napkins and Styrofoam containers to collect water from ceiling leaks, which compromised sanitary conditions. The DHS Inspector General issued nine recommendations covering environmental health, safety protocols, use-of-force handling, and food service standards.
An ICE spokesperson stated that the agency is addressing the Inspector General's recommendations by providing additional staff training. The spokesperson described several issues found in the report as "minor infractions."
"These minor infractions included failing to provide detainees exercise equipment, record keeping errors and leaking vents. Another infraction included providing a shared computer for legal research that would allow other detainees to see other detainees' case information," an ICE spokesperson said.
A DHS spokesperson asserted that the center complies with detention standards. "ICE has higher detention standards than most U.S. prisons that hold actual U.S. citizens," a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson stated.
The facility, which houses more than 1,500 men, opened in 1990. ICE assumed management of the center from state authorities in 2019. Seventy percent of Winn Correctional Center detainees are classified by ICE as having no threat level, indicating an absence of violent criminal history. The center is located approximately one hour north of Alexandria, Louisiana.