Plastic bags for toilets. Frozen showers. Fabricated threats. And complete isolation. This is the reality of FCI Leavenworth in March and April 2024 during a lockdown from an alleged firearm concern. One of our members who asked to remain anonymous shared his story, his experience of a system that strips incarcerated individuals of their humanity.
On March 1, 2024, FCI Leavenworth went into an institution lockdown due to an alleged firearm concern. About a week into this sudden lockdown, a “property reduction” order, alongside a copy of the “inmate allowance property” list, was placed on the bulletin at FCI Leavenworth. This order instructed them to place their items in a designated green bag and all items that did not fit would be confiscated or destroyed. Our member did as he was instructed, yet his personal belongings, including food, clothing, shoes and stamps – items explicitly permitted under prison policy – were taken and discarded without proper documentation and justification.
The situation deteriorated rapidly. On March 26, the facility shut off water entirely for three days, forcing our member and others to endure unhygienic and inhumane conditions. “We were told to defecate in plastic bags because the toilets could not flush,” he recalled. Showers were unavailable for the next five days. The stench, the filth, the sheer humiliation—they were “treated like animals”, treated as less than human, as our member described. Even after water service resumed, hot water remained unavailable for nine days, subjecting individuals to freezing showers during the cold Kansas spring.
These appalling conditions were compounded by further abuses. During the lockdown, meals were drastically reduced and communication with the outside world was essentially severed. Phones and email kiosks were disabled, cutting everyone off from their families and support networks. This deliberate isolation added a layer of psychological torment to the physical suffering.
Our members are not asking for a comfortable prison. They're pleading for basic human dignity and are hoping that FCI Leavenworth be held accountable for these conditions.
After enduring two months of torment, the truth emerged. The so-called firearm threat—the justification for this horrific lockdown—was nothing more than a lie. Correctional officers fabricated the threat to extend shakedowns and invasive searches.
We cannot let this injustice go unanswered. The Remedy Project demand accountability from FCI Leavenworth.
Plastic bags for toilets. Frozen showers. Fabricated threats. And complete isolation. This is the reality of FCI Leavenworth in March and April 2024 during a lockdown from an alleged firearm concern. One of our members who asked to remain anonymous shared his story, his experience of a system that strips incarcerated individuals of their humanity.
On March 1, 2024, FCI Leavenworth went into an institution lockdown due to an alleged firearm concern. About a week into this sudden lockdown, a “property reduction” order, alongside a copy of the “inmate allowance property” list, was placed on the bulletin at FCI Leavenworth. This order instructed them to place their items in a designated green bag and all items that did not fit would be confiscated or destroyed. Our member did as he was instructed, yet his personal belongings, including food, clothing, shoes and stamps – items explicitly permitted under prison policy – were taken and discarded without proper documentation and justification.
The situation deteriorated rapidly. On March 26, the facility shut off water entirely for three days, forcing our member and others to endure unhygienic and inhumane conditions. “We were told to defecate in plastic bags because the toilets could not flush,” he recalled. Showers were unavailable for the next five days. The stench, the filth, the sheer humiliation—they were “treated like animals”, treated as less than human, as our member described. Even after water service resumed, hot water remained unavailable for nine days, subjecting individuals to freezing showers during the cold Kansas spring.
These appalling conditions were compounded by further abuses. During the lockdown, meals were drastically reduced and communication with the outside world was essentially severed. Phones and email kiosks were disabled, cutting everyone off from their families and support networks. This deliberate isolation added a layer of psychological torment to the physical suffering.
Our members are not asking for a comfortable prison. They're pleading for basic human dignity and are hoping that FCI Leavenworth be held accountable for these conditions.
After enduring two months of torment, the truth emerged. The so-called firearm threat—the justification for this horrific lockdown—was nothing more than a lie. Correctional officers fabricated the threat to extend shakedowns and invasive searches.
We cannot let this injustice go unanswered. The Remedy Project demand accountability from FCI Leavenworth.
