Ossoff-led panel to unveil investigation on inmate deaths

WASHINGTON (WRDW/WAGT) - A hearing on U.S. inmate deaths will be held next week by the same Senate investigative panel that called out a contractor at Fort Gordon for continuing problems with family housing.

Chaired by Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations plans a hearing Tuesday on a bipartisan investigation into what it’s calling “uncounted deaths in America’s prisons and jails.”

“This 10-month bipartisan investigation of deaths in America’s prisons and jails has revealed shocking long-term gaps in federal oversight, including hundreds of uncounted deaths in 2021 alone,” Ossoff said.

He said the panel will present its findings, question the Department of Justice and hear from family members of Americans who have died in custody.”

“The Department of Justice has yet again attempted to undermine the duties of this subcommittee to carry out its constitutional oversight responsibilities,” said subcommittee ranking member Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis. “I look forward to questioning them on their lack of transparency at our hearing on the department’s inadequate implementation of the Death in Custody Reporting Act.”

Watch for a live stream of the hearing on WRDW.com.

In April, the subcommittee presented findings on problems at Fort Gordon with housing managed by contractor Balfour Beatty, an issue that’s been tracked by more than a decade by News 12′s I-TEAM. The long-running problems range from leaks and mold infestations to collapsed ceilings and general disrepair.

MORE THAN A DECADE OF I-TEAM COVERAGE:

• Ossoff returns to Fort Gordon to announce progress
• Families share stories on Fort Gordon housing problems
• Fort Gordon housing investigation could bring consequences
• Fort Gordon housing provider pleads guilty to fraud scheme
• How military families feel about housing settlement
• 10 years later, we hear from the private company that provides housing on Fort Gordon
• Mold, filth linger in Fort Gordon housing, investigators find
• U.S. Army kept in the dark about many issues, employee says
• Asking about Balfour Beatty complaints only raises more questions
• Some companies still fail to address safety issues in military housing
• Explaining the safety behind the Tenant Bill of Rights
• Housing company responds to allegations about drowning at Fort Gordon
• Mold, bugs, and safety issues put spotlight on housing provider
• GAO report shows much work to be done for private military housing
• Mold at Fort Gordon? Part 1 and Part 2
• Crews demolish housing unfit for Fort Gordon service members
• 8 years after reports of mold at homes, problems may still exist