Jail Conditions Scrutinized After Jeffrey Epstein's Death

There were "serious irregularities" at the Manhattan Correctional Center, the federal detention center where accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein was found dead over the weekend, according to U.S. Attorney General William Barr. Media reports further reveal that Epstein was largely left alone while in detention, even though he had apparently tried to kill himself last month. 

The U.S. Department of Justice and the FBI are now investigating Epstein's death.

Cameron Lindsay was the warden of another federal facility in the area — the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn — between 2007 and 2009. He said chief psychologists sign off on inmates who are no longer a threat to themselves, but guards are still required regularly check up on them.

"From my perspective, this is an issue with leadership at the top," Lindsay said. "Ultimately, a warden is responsible for all decisions made in a federal prison or jail."

Lindsay is currently a prison consultant and the author of Triple Deuces: A Day in the Life of an American Correctional Worker. He spoke with WNYC's Richard Hake about prison conditions and operations.