The Federal Bureau of Prisons is shutting down operations at the 87-year-old Terminal Island federal prison after inspectors found that crumbling concrete in underground tunnels posed a serious safety threat, according to the Associated Press.
The low-security facility, located between San Pedro and Long Beach, houses nearly 1,000 inmates and relies on a network of below-ground passageways that support its heating and utility systems. Large chunks of concrete had begun falling from the ceilings of those tunnels, raising the risk of injury and potentially damaging the prison’s infrastructure, according to internal assessments.
While the choice to shut down the facility is difficult, Bureau Director William K. Marshall III deemed it the best option…