From FY 2015 through July 2019, the BOP has experienced 46 inmate deaths by homicide and 107 inmate deaths by suicide, including the deaths of high-profile inmates, James “Whitey” Bulger and Jeffrey Epstein. Inmate deaths by suicide in BOP facilities have increased from 8.1 per 100,000 federal inmates in FY 2016 to 14.7 per 100,000 inmates in FY 2018. In short, the IG identified several of the factors that contributed to Epstein’s death to be among the most urgent problems facing DOJ. At the time, Barr brushed off Capito’s question about budget cuts by calling it a SNAFU. Indeed, Thomas is described as one of the guards who had found Epstein before his earlier suicide attempt succeeded on July 23.

Source: The Guardian February 05, 2026 05:38 UTC