Justice Department closes jail where Jeffrey Epstein died by suicide

• The Metropolitan Correctional Center is a federal jail in Manhattan, New York City.
• Jeffrey Epstein was found dead in his jail cell there in August 2019.
• The US government will "temporarily" close the facility, the Justice Department said Thursday.

The US government is "at least temporarily" closing the federal jail in New York City that became infamous following the 2019 suicide of accused sex-trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, the Department of Justice announced Thursday.

The Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan had long been the subject of criticism over poor conditions for those detained there.

"In an effort to address the issues at MCC NY as quickly and efficiently as possible, the department has decided to close the MCC, at least temporarily, until those issues have been resolved. Planning for the deactivation is under way, and we will have more updates as that process continues," a Justice Department spokesperson said in a statement, the New York Daily News reported.

In May, two former guards at the facility reached a deal with prosecutors after being accused of sleeping and browsing the internet when they were supposed to be keeping an eye on Epstein every 30 minutes. He was later found dead after hanging himself.

The jail's closure comes after the US Bureau of Prisons had "assessed steps necessary to improve conditions," The New York Times reported.