The Federal Bureau of Prisons says a hot water issue reported at Metropolitan Detention Center has been repaired, but advocates are highlighting a slew of other issues at the prison. 

The Federal Bureau of Prisons says the detention center had a “brief” interruption of hot water–lasting for about an hour Wednesday. 

Back in 2019, the place also had issues with heat and hot water. The facility did not have heat or water for days during a cold spell in February. 

COVID-19 has also been a concern at the detention center. The prison reported 139 positive cases as of Wednesday morning and six positive cases among the staff. 

Randliee Guamusso of the Federal Bureau of Prisons says the prison uses a tiered approach to tackle the virus saying, “ [It] addresses a range of key areas including infection control measures, inmate services, and programming needs, inmate movement strategies, staff screening, and testing guidance, and takes account of the current conditions within each facility and surrounding community."

Advocates with the Metropolitan Detention Center Group say the prison needs to do better. 

"This is ridiculous. People need basic human comforts. I'm not saying that they have to have a large screen TV and telephones for everybody, but they should have at least heat, hot water, and good food,” said advocate Terry Padula. 

Visitation has been suspended until further notice because of COVID-19.