WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA) and Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) this week introduced the “Family Notification of Death, Injury, or Illness in Custody Act to help notify family members in a timely and compassionate manner in the event of a death, serious illness or injury of a loved one in custody.”
Ossoff said in a statement that “the bill would require the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to implement policies and procedures for family notification by issuing central guidance to the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP). The bill would also direct the Attorney General to develop and distribute model notification policies and procedures to state and local detention agencies.”
The bill is being spearheaded by not only Ossoff but, he said, “U.S. House of Representatives by Reps. Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-CA), John Rutherford (R-FL), Barry Moore (R-AL), and Glenn Ivey (D-MD).”
Sen. Ossoff notes, “Too often, the families of those incarcerated never find out about a serious illness, a life-threatening injury, or even the death of a loved one behind bars. That’s why Senator Kennedy and I are introducing this bipartisan reform legislation.”
“It is shameful that our correctional facilities are not required to notify the families of incarcerated people if their loved ones are seriously ill, injured, or deceased.” – Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove
Congresswoman Kamlager-Dove, added, “It is shameful that our correctional facilities are not required to notify the families of incarcerated people if their loved ones are seriously ill, injured, or deceased. I’m proud to introduce this legislation to change that.”
Ossoff added, families across Georgia have suffered from the prison system’s failure to notify families of their relatives’ health in recent years, and an article in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports “a Clayton County Jail (incarcerated’s) daughter was never notified after her mother fell and suffered from serious injuries, including a collapsed lung that required hospitalization.
The article added her daughter only received notice of her death “once the mother’s longtime boyfriend attempted to visit the jail and was told she was no longer there. The jail did not provide the boyfriend nor the daughter with additional information on the mother’s death.”
Sen. Ossoff warned AG Pam Bondi and BOP Associate Deputy Director Kathleen Toomey that their efforts to reduce pay for prison staff threaten the safety and security of prisons amid pre-existing staffing shortages.”
Sens. Ossoff and Rev. Warnock (D-GA) urged Georgia Department of Corrections (GDC) Commissioner Tyrone Oliver to promptly address the deeply concerning findings in the DOJ’s report on Georgia’s state prison system, which found conditions in Georgia’s prisons “violate the Eighth Amendment to the Constitution,” charged the lawmakers.
As a taxpayer I am appalled at the conditions of GA Department of Corrections! The DOJ REPORT was completed on OCT 2 2024 and not one thing in that report has been addressed or corrected! The GDC treats the offenders like caged animals and on a daily basis their 8th Amendment rights are violated in multiple ways! They have no respect or compassion for the families and loved ones of the offenders! It needs to be addressed fast and furious!