WASHINGTON, DC – President Joe Biden this week signed U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff’s “Federal Prison Oversight Act” into law, which mandates routine inspections by the Dept. of Justice’s Inspector General to oversee the standards of health, safety, welfare and human rights of incarcerated individuals and federal prison staff.
Referring to a series of investigations into the 122 federal prison facilities, Sen. Ossoff (D-GA) said, “I’m appalled by the disgraceful conditions in prisons and jails at all levels across our country. It is a national disgrace and a betrayal of a founding principle embedded in our Bill of Rights, the prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment.”
The bipartisan bill, introduced by Ossoff, Sen. Mike Braun (R-IN), and Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), with Rep. Lucy McBath (D-GA-07) and Kelly Armstrong (R-ND-AL), seeks to address the “human rights crisis behind bars in the United States” that Ossoff described as “a stain on America’s conscience.”
Ossoff added, “The United States Congress will no longer tolerate the ongoing and widespread abuse of those who are in Federal Bureau of Prisons’ custody.”
The law requires the DOJ Inspector General to conduct comprehensive, risk-based inspections of all facilities, as well as “provide recommendations” for improvements, assign risk scores, and schedule more frequent visits to high-risk institutions, according to Ossoff.
The law now requires the BOP to respond with a “corrective action plan” for the prison facilities “within 60 days” of an inspection report.
An independent Ombudsman will also be established under the new law, which is tasked with creating a secure hotline and online form for relatives and representatives of incarcerated people to submit questions and concerns, notes Ossoff’s statement.
Sen. Braun underscored the need for openness and responsibility, declaring, “The Federal Prison Oversight Act will make federal prisons safer for the correctional officers who work there as well as the inmates incarcerated there.”
Sen. Durbin stressed the importance of re-establishing trust in the Bureau of Prisons, stating that the law will guarantee secure and humane conditions in correctional facilities.
Rep. McBath shared a personal viewpoint, remarking, “Those incarcerated and the staff who work in our prisons every day deserve an environment free from unnecessary dangers,” and commending cross-party collaboration in Congress that facilitated the bill’s approval.
Ossoff’s office said the bipartisan Federal Prison Oversight Act has received support from numerous civil rights, prison unions, and public safety organizations, including the Council of Prison Locals (CPL), Families Against Mandatory Minimums (FAMM), and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).
Michal E. Horowitz, U.S. Dept. of Justice Inspector General, praised the Act, noting, “This Act recognized the importance of our inspection program, and we look forward to working with Congress to expand its impact.”
Steve Markle, representing the CPL, also expressed gratitude, emphasizing the legislation’s importance in enhancing working conditions for Federal Law Enforcement officers, Ossoff’s office said.
Kate Trammell, the vice president of Prison Fellowship, said, “Prison conditions must change and allow men and women behind bars to pay their debt to society in humane and secure correctional environments. This issue of agency accountability, human dignity, and transparency in government has cut through the partisan noise of our day. We are glad to see an important step taken toward safer, more constructive federal prisons in America.”
This historic legislation marks a crucial advancement toward improving conditions and accountability within federal prisons ensuring the health and safety of both the incarcerated population and prison staff, according to Ossoff.
