By Audrey Sawyer
WASHINGTON, DC – A bipartisan law (Prison Camera Reform Act) introduced by Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA) is now federal law – it makes it mandatory for the Federal Bureau of Prisons to update outdated and broken security cameras systems, making sure each facility has coverage needed to protect the safety of both staff and incarcerated individuals.
The bill was introduced last year when Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin (D-IL), ranking member Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Congressman Fred Keller (R-PA-12), and Lucy McBath (D-GA06) introduced the bipartisan bill to the U.S. House of Representatives.
The law emerged after an eight-month bipartisan PSI investigation led by Ossoff found rampant sexual abuse of women in federal prisons, indicating, Ossoff said, the Federal Bureau of Prisons has failed to stop, prevent, and detect repetitive sexual abuse by its own employees.
At the PSI hearing held by Sen. Ossoff, many sexual abuse survivors in federal prisons – including those at the federal facility in the SF Bay Area – testified that BOP employees had assaulted them in areas where they knew there was no camera coverage. 
Sen. Durbin said, “BOP will be able to bring its facilities into the 21st century and deter abuse and misconduct by upgrading the security cameras and communications systems in prisons.”
Sen. Grassley added, “A tech upgrade could bring greater transparency and accountability while ensuring improved safety and security in federal prisons.”
Congressman Keller noted multiple meetings with officials from the Bureau of Prisons and the Council of Prison Locals, commenting, “During these meetings, we heard from corrections officers about major deficiencies and needed upgrades within BOP’s security camera systems. This bill is a major step forward for the BOP and security of America’s prisons.”
Sen. Ossoff’s bipartisan bill has also gained support from the Council of Prison Locals which is made up of more than 30,000 BOP employees. 
