In published letter, Epstein’s judge urges prison reform

NEW YORK – A judge who denied bail for financier Jeffrey Epstein before he died is urging the U.S. Bureau of Prisons and the Justice Department to study prison conditions nationwide and make necessary reforms.

U.S. District Judge Richard Berman told The New York Times in an opinion letter published Sunday that it is “unthinkable that any detainee, let alone … Epstein, would die unnoticed at the Metropolitan Correctional Center.”

Epstein, facing sex trafficking charges, was found unresponsive in his cell Aug. 10. A medical examiner ruled it a suicide.

Two jail guards have pleaded not guilty to criminal charges. Authorities say they failed to check on Epstein in eight hours before he died.

Berman said failing to do an in-depth evaluation of prison conditions would be a “tragic and costly missed opportunity.”