By Sarah N. Lynch

WASHINGTON, (Reuters) – Washington’s mayor Muriel Bowser announced Wednesday that the city reached an agreement to upgrade its prison facility with U.S Marshals Service after a surprise federal inspection revealed substandard conditions last month.

“We all agree: everyone who is in our jail or under our supervised care should be treated humanely and have safe conditions,” Bowser said in a statement.

After the U.S. inspection found that the U.S. Marshals Service, part of the Justice Department, to remove 400 federal inmates https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-marshals-remove-400-detainees-dc-jail-due-poor-conditions-2021-11-02 from one of the D.C. Department of Corrections facilities and relocate them to a federal prison in Pennsylvania.

In recent months, the D.C. prison has been under fire from attorneys representing some Jan. 6 Capitol Riot defendants. They complained about conditions in jail, inability to access medical care, and difficulties with clients’ ability to view evidence and aid in defense.

In one case, U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-judge-says-dc-jail-violated-civil-rights-jan-6-defendant-2021-10-13 held top Department of Correction officials in contempt for impeding access to medical care for one defendant.

He also referred the matter to Justice Department for a civil right inquiry.

Two D.C. facilities were inspected during the inspection which was conducted in the week of October 18. One facility was a treatment center, and one the Central Detention Facility.

While it did not find any problems at the Jan. 6-defendants’ facility, the Central Detention Facility was found to be in trouble.

The memorandum between the Justice Department of Washington and the city was announced Wednesday. They have agreed to cooperate to examine the circumstances and to remediate them.