High-profile attacks on Derek Chauvin and Larry Nassar put spotlight on violence in federal prisons

By MICHAEL R. SISAK and MICHAEL BALSAMO
Associated Press

Recent assaults on two notorious, high-profile federal prisoners have renewed concerns about whether the federal Bureau of Prisons is capable of keeping people in its custody safe. Derek Chauvin was stabbed nearly two dozen times in the law library at a federal prison in Arizona in November. The former Minneapolis police officer is serving more that two decades for murdering George Floyd in 2020. Larry Nassar was knifed repeatedly in his cell at a federal penitentiary in Florida in July. The ex-U.S. women’s gymnastics team doctor is serving decades for sexually abusing athletes and possessing images of child sexual abuse. The incidents mean the Bureau of Prisons is again under scrutiny for failing to protect high-profile prisoners from harm.