A new federal inspections system would be established for the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) under bipartisan legislation introduced this week by U.S. Rep. Kelly Armstrong (R-ND).
“BOP has an obligation to ensure the health and safety of incarcerated individuals, employees, and visitors in its facilities,” Rep. Armstrong said. “Our bill will provide oversight of the federal prison system and allow us to hold it accountable.”
The Federal Prison Oversight Act would establish new, independent oversight of the BOP. U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath (D-GA) also introduced the bill, according to a summary provided by Rep. Armstrong’s office.
The bill would require the U.S. 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 summary says.
The IG also would report its findings and recommendations to Congress and the public, and the BOP would be required to respond to all inspection reports within 60 days with a corrective action plan, according to the summary.
Additionally, an independent ombudsman position would be created to investigate the health, safety, welfare, and rights of incarcerated people and staff, and to establish a secure hotline and online form for family members, friends, and representatives of incarcerated people to submit complaints and inquiries, states the summary.
“Incarcerated Americans should not fear death when they enter our federal prison system, and correctional officers should not fear for their safety in their workplace,” said Rep. McBath. “Our federal prisons must serve as institutions that rehabilitate and prepare Americans for reentry into society, and that cannot happen without putting meaningful accountability measures in place.”
The bill is supported by numerous organizations, including the Council of Prison Locals, Families Against Mandatory Minimums, the American Civil Liberties Union, the Conservative Political Action Committee, and Americans for Prosperity, among several others.
“I appreciate the chance to work on this common-sense legislation that will make sure federal prisons can be better at rehabilitation and ultimately make our communities safer,” said Rep. Armstrong.