Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 10, 2024

Press contact: teamfamm@mrss.com

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today the United States Senate successfully passed the Federal Prison Oversight Act (FPOA), which will increase independent transparency and accountability within the federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP), by unanimous consent. Experts from FAMM, who advocate for people impacted by incarceration in federal prisons, say this is a monumental step forward in improving an agency that has been beset by misconduct for decades.

“After all the headlines, scandals, and controversy that have plagued the Bureau of Prisons for decades, we’re very happy to see this Congress take action to bring transparency and accountability to an agency that has gone so long without it,” said Daniel Landsman, Vice President of Policy at FAMM. “Thank you to Sens. Ossoff, Braun, and Durbin for championing this bill and for prioritizing the health and safety of the more than 150,000 people incarcerated in federal prisons, as well as of the tens of thousands of people who work in the same facilities. We also would like again to thank Reps. Armstrong and McBath for their corresponding efforts on this bill in the U.S. House. We hear daily from our members with loved ones incarcerated in federal prisons about the harsh conditions and too frequent disregard for incarcerated people’s humanity. Their perspectives inform our strong support for this bill. We look forward to seeing this bill move on to the president’s desk and become law.”

The FPOA will provide long overdue independent prison oversight of BOP. Under this legislation, the Department of Justice’s Office of Inspector General will be charged with conducting inspections of every federal correctional facility, with frequency determined by each facility’s combined risk score. Higher-risk facilities will have more frequent inspections. The bill also creates a Correctional Ombudsman position. That person will be charged with carrying out targeted investigations of complaints lodged by an incarcerated individual, a family advocate, a representative of the incarcerated individual, BOP staff, a representative of BOP staff, a Member of Congress, or a member of the federal judiciary.

This bill comes at a critical juncture for BOP due to recent scandals at federal institutions, including California’s FCI Dublin, Kansas’ USP Leavenworth, and West Virginia’s FCC Hazelton.

“Environments like the one at FCI Dublin — a federal women’s prison so rife with sexual abuse that it came to be known as ‘the rape club’ by people who were living and working there — persisted with no independent accountability of BOP,” said Shanna Rifkin, Deputy General Counsel at FAMM. “Closing the facility at Dublin does not change the underlying culture that contributed to rampant sexual abuse in prison, but legislation like the FPOA will help address the underlying issues and prevent toxic situations like this from happening again.”

The bill was informed by the stories, experiences, and advocacy of FAMM’s membership: “It is time for a new chapter of change, where every prison is held to the highest standards through oversight, and every decision is guided by a commitment to rehabilitation and humanity. Only through transparency and accountability can we truly build a more just, safer, and equitable society,” said FAMM member Vanessa Rojas, who was imprisoned in the federal BOP system for four years and has since become a prominent advocate for prison reform.

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FAMM is a national nonpartisan advocacy organization that promotes fair and effective criminal justice policies that safely reduce incarceration, save taxpayer dollars, and keep families together. Founded in 1991, FAMM has secured bold sentencing and prison reform across the country while elevating the voices of directly impacted individuals and families.