The Federal Prison Oversight Act, bipartisan legislation cosponsored by U.S. Sens. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., and Joe Manchin, I-W.Va., has unanimously passed the Senate.
The bill, which is led by U.S. Sens. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., Mike Braun, R-Ind. and Dick Durbin, D-Ill., establishes new, independent oversight of the U.S. Bureau of Prisons. Now that the legislation has passed both the Senate and U.S. House of Representatives, it will head to the president’s desk to be signed into law.
“Investigations into our federal prisons produced shocking and alarming findings,” Capito said. “I was incredibly upset to read reports of misconduct by some prison officials, the conditions of some facilities, and the abuse of inmates. I am glad to see the Federal Prison Oversight Act pass the Senate.
“After discussions with numerous constituents, families and corrections officers, I strongly support this legislation, which aims to correct these issues within the federal prison system, and I encourage the president to sign it promptly into law.”
The Federal Prison Oversight Act will require the U.S. Department of Justice’s Inspector General to conduct comprehensive, risk-based inspections of the BOP’s 122 correctional facilities, provide recommendations to fix problems, and assign each facility a risk score, with higher-risk facilities required to be inspected more often.
The Inspector General must also report its findings and recommendations to Congress and the public, and the Bureau of Prisons must respond to all inspection reports within 60 days with a corrective action plan.
Additionally, the bill would establish an independent ombudsman to investigate the health, safety, welfare and rights of incarcerated people and staff. The ombudsman would also create a secure hotline and online form for family members, friends and representatives of incarcerated people to submit complaints and inquiries.
“I’m pleased the Senate passed our bipartisan Federal Prison Oversight Act, which will overhaul federal prison oversight and improve safety for staff and inmates,” Manchin said. “This commonsense legislation is especially important after the serious reports of abuses, staff shortages, and dangerous conditions at federal prisons in West Virginia and across the country.
“I fought hard to secure a much-needed pay raise for staff at Federal Correctional Complex Hazelton, and this legislation furthers my goal of improving safety and accountability for all federal prison facilities. I look forward to President Biden swiftly signing our legislation into law.”