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LAW OFFICES OF BOBBI C. STERNHEIM
As the government states, a flashlight is pointed at the ceiling of her isolation cell every 15 minutes, from approximately 9:30 pm to 6:30 am. It is hard to verbally convey the power of a light that bounces off a concrete ceiling in a six-by-nine-foot concrete box into Ms. Maxwell's eyes, disrupting her sleep and ability to have any restful night. The attenuating effects of sleep deprivation are well documented.
Ms. Maxwell continues to be at the mercy of a revolving group of security officers who are used to guarding hundreds of inmates but now focus their undivided attention exclusively on one respectful, middle-aged female pretrial detainee. Recently, out of view of the security camera, Ms. Maxwell was placed in her isolation cell and physically abused during a pat down search. When she asked that the camera be used to capture the occurrence, a guard replied "no." When Ms. Maxwell recoiled in pain and when she said she would report the mistreatment, she was threatened with disciplinary action. Within a week and while the same team was in charge, Ms. Maxwell was the subject of further retaliation for reporting the abuse: a guard ordered Ms. Maxwell into a shower to clean, sanitize, and scrub the walls with a broom. Ms. Maxwell's request to have the camera record the guard alone with her in the confined space was again denied.
Ms. Maxwell spends an increasing amount of time in her isolation cell because her daily removal is delayed. Her movement within that cell is restricted. Despite claims by MDC Legal to the contrary, guards forbid Ms. Maxwell from standing in certain areas of her six-by-nine-foot cell: she is not allowed to stand to the left or right of the toilet, in either corner of the isolation cell, and within two feet from the door. This directive encroaches on an already restricted and confined area and limits her movement and use to the little space that remains.
Ms. Maxwell continues to have serious problems with the food provided to her. She has repeatedly not been provided some or all parts of a meal. For the duration of her detention, she has never received a properly heated meal. Her food, contained in plastic specifically contraindicated for use in a microwave, is designed to be heated in a thermal oven. The old microwave oven used for Ms. Maxwell's food either does not defrost the food or disintegrates it and melts the plastic container, rendering the food inedible. While guards finally acknowledged serious problems with the food, they continued to microwave Ms. Maxwell's food, rendering the food inedible and dangerous for consumption and leaving Ms. Maxwell with no meal and no replacement. Late last week, guards informed Ms. Maxwell that going forward her food will be heated in a thermal oven, like that of all other inmates. While this may be an improvement, it does little to correct seven months of deprivation impacting her nutrition and detrimental to her health.
Recently there have been problems with odorous and non-palatable tap water. The water in the isolation cell was clouded with heavy particulates; the water in the day room was brown. Requests by Ms. Maxwell and counsel to provide her bottled water or permit her to purchase water were denied. In addition, her legal mail does not arrive in a timely manner, daily newspapers arrive up to six weeks late, her emails have been prematurely deleted from the BOP system, and she has arrived late for VTC calls.
DOJ-OGR-00001288