Press Releases

Dear Attorney General Garland and Director Carvajal,

I am greatly concerned with recent reports regarding the treatment of American citizens that were detained following the events of January 6, 2021 at the United States Capitol. The events that took place that day were, as we can all agree, egregious and inexcusable and those that participated must be held accountable. However, reports of mistreatment and excessive punishment for those that are being held as pretrial defendants is unacceptable.

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) mission clearly states their goal to “enforce the law and defend the interests of the United States according to the law,” and that they “seek just punishment for those guilty of unlawful behavior.” Every American has the right to be treated innocent until proven guilty. Yet reports have surfaced of those detained being subject to 23 hour a day solitary confinement, being served food from the floors of their cells, and being beaten by guards. While methods such as solitary confinement can be viewed as necessary in certain situations, its use in this situation on those not convicted of any crimes is cruel and hardly reflects this nation’s standard of presumption of innocence before proven guilty.

Solitary confinement can be greatly harmful to both the psychological and physiological state of an individual and typically reserved for only the most violent or highest escape risk inmates. Given the charges against these pretrial defendants hardly constitute this level of punishment, it is hard to view the situation as anything other than politically motivated and a form of “payback” for the actions of these individuals on January 6^th. That is why I request the answer to the following questions:

1. Who made the decision to place pretrial defendants in solitary confinement and on what grounds?
2. How many individuals are or were being held in solitary confinement?
3. On average, how long were these individuals held in solitary confinement?

The DOJ has a long history of carrying out justice and making America a safer place for all of its citizens. No matter the charges or events that led to an individual’s arrest, they deserve fair and impartial treatment until their guilt has been proven in the court of law. Thank you and I look forward to hearing back from you on this important matter.

Sincerely,

Congressman Jeff Van Drew