Federal Medical Center, Carswell
Encyclopedia
The Federal Medical Center (FMC) Carswell in Fort Worth
, Texas
, is a Federal Bureau of Prisons
facility that provides specialized medical and mental health
services to female offenders
. FMC Carswell is located in the northeast corner of Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth
(formerly Carswell Air Force Base
). Its address is Building 3000 along J Street. The facility, which houses approximately 1,400 inmates, is fully accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations
and the American Correctional Association
. It is the only medical facility for women in the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
Although most inmates at this facility have some form of medical condition requiring treatment, there is also a general population of inmates at FMC Carswell who do not. Carswell houses the two women who are currently under federal death sentences
. FMC Carswell has an administrative high security unit, which houses women in the BOP system who are classified as "special management concerns" due to violence and/or escape attempts.
There is a Federal Prison Industries UNICOR program at Carswell i.e. a Call Center, which employs inmates on 411-type directory assistance inquiries.
The prison has undergone various changes since 1995: the parking lot
formerly situated at the south end has been moved to the northwest end, which is overlooked by a large water-tower standing just outside the razor wire
perimeter. A running track and a baseball field
surrounded by trees have been constructed at the southwest corner. The main facility itself is a large structure of interconnecting buildings, typical of a hospital complex.
The prison is surrounded by two separate fences with a gap of approximately 20 feet (6.1 m) between them. Measuring approximately 20 feet (6.1 m) high, each chain-link fence is reinforced with multiple coils of long-barb razor wire
fixed at the top and bottom.
The prison's main entrance is on the northwest end, and there is a second entrance on the south end, which contains a guard post and two gates. Finally, there is a third entrance in the north which contains two gates. Outside the razor-wire perimeter in the south are two large buildings which are either warehouses or vehicle storage areas.
Security systems include door control, telephone
, LAN radio, intercom/paging, video surveillance, nurse call, intrusion detection
, perimeter security and master-antenna-television.
. These articles focus on allegations of medical malpractice
, neglect, and sexual abuse
of inmates by staff Over a seven-year period, seven FMC Carswell staff members were convicted of sexual abuse of a prisoner. In March 2000, a prison guard named Michael Lawrence Miller raped a prisoner named Marilyn Shirley, who began her sentence in January 1998. Shirley kept the incident a secret, and kept a pair of sweatpants she wore during the incident as proof. As Shirley was being released in September 2000, she gave the sweatpants to a prison administrator. He was convicted, and in 2004 he was sentenced. He received 150 months (12 years and 6 months) of a sentence, Miller, Federal Bureau of Prisons
ID# 30412-177, is imprisoned in Federal Correctional Institution, Sandstone
and has a projected release date of March 19, 2015.
In May 2008, Vincent Inametti, 48, a Roman Catholic priest who worked as a chaplain at FMC Carswell, was sentenced to 48 months in prison and ordered to pay a $3,000 fine after pleading guilty in November 2007 to two counts of sexual abuse
of two inmates. Inametti, BOP # 36889-177, is now imprisoned at the Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) - Low in the Butner Federal Correctional Complex.
Non-death row
Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth is the 16th-largest city in the United States of America and the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas. Located in North Central Texas, just southeast of the Texas Panhandle, the city is a cultural gateway into the American West and covers nearly in Tarrant, Parker, Denton, and...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, is a Federal Bureau of Prisons
Federal Bureau of Prisons
The Federal Bureau of Prisons is a federal law enforcement agency subdivision of the United States Department of Justice and is responsible for the administration of the federal prison system. The system also handles prisoners who committed acts considered felonies under the District of Columbia's...
facility that provides specialized medical and mental health
Mental health
Mental health describes either a level of cognitive or emotional well-being or an absence of a mental disorder. From perspectives of the discipline of positive psychology or holism mental health may include an individual's ability to enjoy life and procure a balance between life activities and...
services to female offenders
Incarceration of women
This article discusses the incarceration of women in correctional facilities.-History:In the United States, authorities began housing women in correctional facilities separate from men in the 1870s...
. FMC Carswell is located in the northeast corner of Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth
Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth
Naval Air Station Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base or NAS Fort Worth JRB includes Carswell Field, a military airfield located west of the central business district of Fort Worth, in Tarrant County, Texas, United States. This military airfield is operated by United States Navy...
(formerly Carswell Air Force Base
Carswell Air Force Base
Carswell Air Force Base, was a United States Air Force Strategic Air Command base located about northwest central of Fort Worth, Texas, United States; the air force base is mostly within the Fort Worth city limits and has portions within Westworth and White Settlement...
). Its address is Building 3000 along J Street. The facility, which houses approximately 1,400 inmates, is fully accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations
Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations
The Joint Commission , formerly the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations , is a United States-based not-for-profit organization that accredits over 19,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States...
and the American Correctional Association
American Correctional Association
The American Correctional Association , formerly known as the American Prison Association, is the oldest and largest international correctional association in the world. Approximately 80 percent of all state departments of corrections and youth services are active participants...
. It is the only medical facility for women in the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
Although most inmates at this facility have some form of medical condition requiring treatment, there is also a general population of inmates at FMC Carswell who do not. Carswell houses the two women who are currently under federal death sentences
Death row
Death row signifies the place, often a section of a prison, that houses individuals awaiting execution. The term is also used figuratively to describe the state of awaiting execution , even in places where no special facility or separate unit for condemned inmates exists.After individuals are found...
. FMC Carswell has an administrative high security unit, which houses women in the BOP system who are classified as "special management concerns" due to violence and/or escape attempts.
There is a Federal Prison Industries UNICOR program at Carswell i.e. a Call Center, which employs inmates on 411-type directory assistance inquiries.
The prison has undergone various changes since 1995: the parking lot
Parking lot
A parking lot , also known as car lot, is a cleared area that is intended for parking vehicles. Usually, the term refers to a dedicated area that has been provided with a durable or semi-durable surface....
formerly situated at the south end has been moved to the northwest end, which is overlooked by a large water-tower standing just outside the razor wire
Razor wire
Barbed tape or razor wire is a mesh of metal strips with sharp edges whose purpose is to prevent passage by humans. The term "razor wire", through long usage, has generally been used to describe barbed tape products...
perimeter. A running track and a baseball field
Baseball field
A baseball field, also called a ball field or a baseball diamond, is the field upon which the game of baseball is played. The terms "baseball field" and "ball field" are also often used as synonyms for ballpark.-Specifications:...
surrounded by trees have been constructed at the southwest corner. The main facility itself is a large structure of interconnecting buildings, typical of a hospital complex.
The prison is surrounded by two separate fences with a gap of approximately 20 feet (6.1 m) between them. Measuring approximately 20 feet (6.1 m) high, each chain-link fence is reinforced with multiple coils of long-barb razor wire
Razor wire
Barbed tape or razor wire is a mesh of metal strips with sharp edges whose purpose is to prevent passage by humans. The term "razor wire", through long usage, has generally been used to describe barbed tape products...
fixed at the top and bottom.
The prison's main entrance is on the northwest end, and there is a second entrance on the south end, which contains a guard post and two gates. Finally, there is a third entrance in the north which contains two gates. Outside the razor-wire perimeter in the south are two large buildings which are either warehouses or vehicle storage areas.
Security systems include door control, telephone
Telephone
The telephone , colloquially referred to as a phone, is a telecommunications device that transmits and receives sounds, usually the human voice. Telephones are a point-to-point communication system whose most basic function is to allow two people separated by large distances to talk to each other...
, LAN radio, intercom/paging, video surveillance, nurse call, intrusion detection
Intrusion detection
In Information Security, intrusion detection is the act of detecting actions that attempt to compromise the confidentiality, integrity or availability of a resource. When Intrusion detection takes a preventive measure without direct human intervention, then it becomes an Intrusion-prevention...
, perimeter security and master-antenna-television.
History
Articles criticizing FMC Carswell have appeared in various media outlets relating to various forms of prisoner abusePrisoner abuse
Prisoner abuse is the mistreatment of persons while they are under arrest or incarcerated.Abuse falling into this category includes:* Physical abuse: Needless beating, hitting, or other corporal punishment....
. These articles focus on allegations of medical malpractice
Medical malpractice
Medical malpractice is professional negligence by act or omission by a health care provider in which the treatment provided falls below the accepted standard of practice in the medical community and causes injury or death to the patient, with most cases involving medical error. Standards and...
, neglect, and sexual abuse
Sexual abuse
Sexual abuse, also referred to as molestation, is the forcing of undesired sexual behavior by one person upon another. When that force is immediate, of short duration, or infrequent, it is called sexual assault. The offender is referred to as a sexual abuser or molester...
of inmates by staff Over a seven-year period, seven FMC Carswell staff members were convicted of sexual abuse of a prisoner. In March 2000, a prison guard named Michael Lawrence Miller raped a prisoner named Marilyn Shirley, who began her sentence in January 1998. Shirley kept the incident a secret, and kept a pair of sweatpants she wore during the incident as proof. As Shirley was being released in September 2000, she gave the sweatpants to a prison administrator. He was convicted, and in 2004 he was sentenced. He received 150 months (12 years and 6 months) of a sentence, Miller, Federal Bureau of Prisons
Federal Bureau of Prisons
The Federal Bureau of Prisons is a federal law enforcement agency subdivision of the United States Department of Justice and is responsible for the administration of the federal prison system. The system also handles prisoners who committed acts considered felonies under the District of Columbia's...
ID# 30412-177, is imprisoned in Federal Correctional Institution, Sandstone
Federal Correctional Institution, Sandstone
The Federal Correctional Institution in Sandstone, Minnesota, is a low security prison for male offenders.FCI Sandstone is situated about 100 miles northeast of Minneapolis/St...
and has a projected release date of March 19, 2015.
In May 2008, Vincent Inametti, 48, a Roman Catholic priest who worked as a chaplain at FMC Carswell, was sentenced to 48 months in prison and ordered to pay a $3,000 fine after pleading guilty in November 2007 to two counts of sexual abuse
Sexual abuse
Sexual abuse, also referred to as molestation, is the forcing of undesired sexual behavior by one person upon another. When that force is immediate, of short duration, or infrequent, it is called sexual assault. The offender is referred to as a sexual abuser or molester...
of two inmates. Inametti, BOP # 36889-177, is now imprisoned at the Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) - Low in the Butner Federal Correctional Complex.
Notable inmates
Death row| Name | Number | Status | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Angela Johnson Angela Johnson Angela Johnson is the first woman sentenced to death by a United States Federal jury since the 1950s. Forty-nine women have been executed under state laws since 1900.... |
08337-029 | As of 2010, in FMC Carswell | |
| Lisa M. Montgomery Lisa M. Montgomery Lisa Marie Montgomery, is a woman from Melvern, Kansas who confessed to the 2004 murder of Bobbie Jo Stinnett, an expectant mother, in an attempt to kidnap her unborn baby.... |
11072-031 | As of 2010, in FMC Carswell | |
Non-death row
| Name | Number | Status | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wanda Barzee | 16650-081 | As of 2010, in FMC, Carswell | Known for the Elizabeth Smart kidnapping Elizabeth Smart kidnapping The kidnapping of Elizabeth Smart occurred on June 5, 2002, when 14-year-old American girl Elizabeth Smart was abducted from her Salt Lake City, Utah, bedroom... |
| Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme Lynette Fromme Lynette Alice "Squeaky" Fromme is an American member of the Manson Family. She was sentenced to life imprisonment for attempting to assassinate U.S. President Gerald Ford in 1975... |
06075-180 | Released on August 14, 2009 | Attempted to assassinate President Gerald Ford Gerald Ford Gerald Rudolph "Jerry" Ford, Jr. was the 38th President of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977, and the 40th Vice President of the United States serving from 1973 to 1974... |
| Marion Jones Marion Jones Marion Lois Jones , also known as Marion Jones-Thompson, is a former world champion track and field athlete, and a former professional basketball player for Tulsa Shock in the WNBA... |
84868-054 | Released on September 5, 2008 | Lying to federal investigators about her usage of performance enhancing drugs during athletic events |
| Ana Montes Ana Montes Ana Belen Montes is a former senior analyst at the Defense Intelligence Agency in the United States. On September 21, 2001, she was arrested and subsequently charged with Conspiracy to Commit Espionage for the government of Cuba... |
25037-016 | As of 2011, in FMC, Carswell | Former DIA Defense Intelligence Agency The Defense Intelligence Agency is a member of the Intelligence Community of the United States, and is the central producer and manager of military intelligence for the United States Department of Defense, employing over 16,500 U.S. military and civilian employees worldwide... official who spied for Cuba Cuba The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city... |
| Aafia Siddiqui Aafia Siddiqui Aafia Siddiqui is an American-educated Pakistani cognitive neuroscientist who was convicted of assault with intent to murder her U.S. interrogators in Afghanistan. The charges carried a maximum sentence of life in prison; in September 2010, she was sentenced by a United States district court to 86... |
90279-054 | As of 2010, in FMC, Carswell | Convicted of intent to murder U.S. interrogators in Afghanistan |
External links
- FMC Carswell page at BOP.gov
- "Abuse at Carswell Prison is for real", May 21, 2000, Molly IvinsMolly IvinsMary Tyler "Molly" Ivins was an American newspaper columnist, populist, political commentator, humorist and author.-Early life and education:Ivins was born in Monterey, California, and raised in Houston, Texas...