In 2024 we continued to monitor conditions at the Northwest Detention Center (NWDC) in Tacoma, documenting emergent crises affecting people detained at the NWDC, including the death of Charles Leo Daniel and a series of suicide attempts at the facility during the first quarter of the year. In both cases, these crises were first reported by La Resistencia through the organization’s relationships with detained people; UWCHR worked to surface additional information and highlight the systemic nature of ongoing abuses at the facility.
A chart showing longest reported solitary placements nationwide, highlighting Mr. Daniel’s second placement in solitary, for 811+ days, placing his stay as the second-longest in the nation.
We found that Charles Leo Daniel, who died on March 7, 2024, while held in segregation at the NWDC, had experienced the second-longest stay in segregation of any person in ICE custody nationwide since at least 2018, despite being identified by ICE as having significant mental illness (see above graphic). ICE data obtained by Physicians for Human Rights showed that five out of the ten longest segregation placements nationwide occurred at the NWDC. Compounding the tragedy of Charles Leo Daniel’s experience at the NWDC, media reports also revealed that he had also spent an extraordinarily long time in solitary confinement while in prison in Washington State before being transferred to ICE custody.
While the crises reported at the facility during 2024 were disturbing, they were neither new nor unique. Detained people and their allies have denounced inhumane conditions at the NWDC for many years, often through hunger strikes, one of the few forms of protest available to those in detention.
Throughout early 2024, La Resistencia shared reports from currently detained people regarding a disturbing pattern of suicide attempts at the facility. In response, UWCHR obtained 911 calls documenting at least six suicide attempts at the detention center during the first three months of 2024. The calls also revealed details of serious medical incidents and a fire at the facility. We continue to monitor emergency conditions and responses at NWDC.
While the crises reported at the facility during 2024 were disturbing, they were neither new nor unique. Detained people and their allies have denounced inhumane conditions at the NWDC for many years, often through hunger strikes, one of the few forms of protest available to those in detention. These efforts have brought increasing attention to the systemic issues at the NWDC, operated by the for-profit private prison company GEO Group.
This update is featured in UWCHR’s 2023-2024 Annual Report.
