I greatly appreciate you taking the time out of an extremely busy schedule to read my letter. Thank you for having a genuine concern for the welfare of all American people. I hope you find this letter helpful.

Benjamin Rush and Ben Franklin formed the Penn Prison Society said, "The obligations of benevolence are not cancelled by the follies or crimes of our fellow creatures."

Most Americans have become progressively aware of our Nation's mass incarceration crisis, the single most civil rights atrocities in our country. What many people don't know is how inhuman the system often treat those who are incarcerated, especially when it comes to their medical needs. It is never a good thing to hear, see or know anyone that has had their life taken away as a result of neglect, mismanagement or inadequate medical attention. Yet in the wake of two recent high profile deaths and several other incidents at federal prison's there has been an awakening to how poorly the BOP has managed the facilities nationwide. The most recent death of Jeffrey Epstein has really shed light on the how bad the inmates are neglected at MCC Brooklyn. James "Whitey" Bulger was found beaten to death just hours after being received at his new destination in October 2018. Last winter an incident at the Federal MDC Brooklyn shed light on how inhuman the inmates were treated. The Metro Detention Center lost power and heat during one of the most sever winters the city has experienced in years, this led to an extreme lack of medical care, heat, and unsanitary living quarters. Inmates were seen banging on windows crying out for help before anyone actually got any help. Just a few weeks ago at a Florida facility an inmate was killed as a result of a riot between to races. The west coast has had it's share of problems as well with sexual harassment. The media has drummed up a lot of necessary noise to what this mass incarceration crisis has produced. Steve Coll of Columbia University's Journalism Department recently penned an article titled, ""The Jail Health-Care Crisis" When Incarceration can be a death sentence". I penned an article titled "Ground Zero of America's Incarceration Crisis - America's Obsession with Locking People Up" in response to Mr. Coll's article. The United States holds the highest incarceration rate in the world. Bryan Stevenson of Equal Justice Initiative said, "I've been working in this field for over 35 years and I've never seen the prisons as bad as they are right now." This problem has not only become an overcrowding issue it has become an humanitarian crisis. The reason why there has been very little attention is because how secretive the Bureau has been concerning keeping the public out. Yet what's done in the dark must come to the light.
This is my 9th year in prison, I can truly say that I have witnessed and experienced years of ill-treatment and unjust treatment by the system and the people who runs it. David Patton the executive director of the Federal Defenders of New York recently penned an article in response to an DOJ inquiry after Epstein's death said, "The second priority should be real accountability for those who run the jails..., "Among the worst of the problems is the abysmal state of medical care. My office's lawyers constantly battle the MCC and the MDC to get our clients appropriate medical treatment for serious issues... The response we often receive is that they simply don't have the staff." There has been up to 5000 BOP vacancies and a lack of leadership since Mark Inch resigned. This has led to extreme overtime, leaving the CO's and inmates in vulnerable positions. Many CO's have been augmented to fill shortages in many areas, some are unqualified officers. With this kind of staff crisis, how can the inmates receive the adequate medical treat to meet their needs when they were not even receiving it before this staffing crisis. It's practically impossible.
As I've said before I have had my share of this kind of inhuman treatment, battling to receive adequate care for years after an work related incident at FCI Berlin. I struggled for over a year to obtain adequate medical treatment that has now led to several other medical issues. After constantly going to sick call/medical, an MRI was given resulting in a bulging disc in my lower back along with other spinal complications. This left me unable to walk, stand or even sleep at times. After several months of complaining, I was finally sent out to get a epidural injection in my spine to ease the pain. As I awaited a second treatment, I was called back to court, while in transfer I had to go through FTC Oklahoma where they unwisely gave me too much steroids, one through pill form and one through needle injection. As a result this aggravated my blood sugar taking it to over 590 (coma stage). Since my arrival at FCI Fort Dix, I have had to continued to struggle with getting assistance for these issues. Most recent issue dealt with a torn meniscus in my right knee which was finally diagnose after a year or so of complaining. In 2018, I was given an X-ray yet it wasn't until over a year later that an MRI was finally order. This unreasonable delay has led to issues in my right hip, knee and ankle, A1C, high blood pressure as well as a tremendous change in my lifestyle. Due to the sever pain radiating from the spine which goes directly to my foot, I have not been able to do much cardio which can and has led to high blood pressure and increase of my A1C. The pain from the spine injury is still not been adequately addressed. The treatment that was prescribed by the Pain Clinic at AHV was cancelled as soon as I got to FCI Fort Dix and instead I was prescribed Duloxetine, which is a psychotic med that can be used for minor nerve pain. The type of pain and issues that I have obviously requires more than putting a band aide on a gunshot wound. For this reason, I reached out to you, it's not about me getting out of prison as much as it's about helping others and saving my own life. To my surprise, a response from the Warden here at Fort Dix concerning an inquiry from Senator Cory Booker was what bothered me the most. Instead of investigating the inquiry, the Warden seems to blame me for the issues at hand. Not once did anyone from the medical department or the administration contact me to address the inquiry. Honestly the Warden's response validates my complaint. There has to be real accountability. I have seen and heard incarcerated doctors actually helping other inmates that have been neglected at medical. Many of the staff including administration understands there is little to no public exposure concerning what actually occurs behind the walls. They tend to believe they can get away with doing what they want without anyone holding them accountable. The CO's irresponsible actions were nothing new to us concerning Mr. Epstein's death. It's time for Congress to step it up. Overhauling this system is past due. Prison Reform including medical treatment has to be taken more serious or we will have more unnecessary deaths and unnecessary life altering illnesses. The First-Step Act was great but it was like throwing a rock off the coast of California and expecting someone in Japan to notice the ripples. Senator Cory Booker once said, "Our broken system is a cancer to the soul of our nation that preys upon most marginalized populations. It's time we developed a cure." I wholeheartedly agree. How many people have to die before something worth calling Change is done? I invite you to use my story to help change this system for the better. "Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health is the most shocking and inhuman." - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Brian L. Rowe 63555-054
FCI Fort Dix
P.O. Box 2000
Joint Base MDL, New Jersey 08640