President Biden signed into law on Thursday the Federal Prison Oversight Act — a bill co-sponsored by Sens. Joe Manchin and Shelley Moore Capito to address problems in the federal prison system.
Lead sponsor Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., said he first introduced the bipartisan bill in 2022 after leading multiple bipartisan Senate investigations into corruption, abuse and misconduct within the Federal prison system, uncovering a lack of oversight of the Federal prison system that led to long-term failures likely contributing to loss of life; jeopardizing the health and safety of incarcerated people and staff; and undermining public safety and civil rights.
The Federal Prison Oversight Act will require the Department of Justice’s Inspector General (IG) 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 IG must also report its findings and recommendations to Congress and the public, and the BOP must respond to all inspection reports within 60 days with a corrective action plan.
The law also will 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.
Manchin commented, “Our bipartisan, bicameral Federal Prison Oversight Act is historic legislation that will truly improve safety and accountability in all federal prison facilities for both staff and inmate. Following serious accounts of abuse, staff shortages, and dangerous conditions at federal prisons in West Virginia and across the nation, it is even more critical that this commonsense legislation be swiftly implemented. I am grateful to my bipartisan colleagues who worked together to get it across the finish line, and I look forward to seeing its impact on improving our federal prison system.”
Capito said, “I was proud to work alongside my colleagues to get the Federal Prison Oversight Act through Congress and now signed into law. Investigations into our federal prisons produced shocking and alarming findings, and reports of misconduct, abuse, and inadequate facilities are unacceptable. The state and condition of our federal prisons is something I have frequently discussed with constituents, families, and corrections officers, and it’s a positive development that needed oversight that will soon be implemented.”
Other bill sponsors were Sens. Mike Braun, R-Ind., Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and Tim Kaine, D-Va. Reps. Lucy McBath, D-Ga., and Kelly Armstrong, R-N.D., introduced companion legislation in the House.