April 9, 2024–Due Process Institute and a bipartisan coalition of criminal justice reform organizations urged House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer to support and advance the Federal Prison Oversight Act (H.R. 3019). We strongly support this effort to improve the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) because it is aligned with core values of ensuring government accountability and improving public safety. This common sense legislation accomplishes these goals by increasing accountability in our prison system, preventing harm to both those living and working in these facilities, and providing transparency for those individuals serving to keep prisons safe as well as the public at large.
America’s prison system is in crisis. Support of independent prison oversight stems from irrefutable evidence of failure that puts corrections officers and those they oversee at risk of serious injury, exemplified by facilities that are overcrowded, understaffed, underfunded, unsafe, and in a state of dangerous disrepair. The absence of oversight has given rise to a prison system that is rampant with abuse, neglect, and mismanagement, making rehabilitation difficult and endangering everyone who lives and works in a federal prison. The Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) employs over 34,000 people and is responsible for the care of over 150,000 people with a budget north of $8 billion. Still, the BOP has historically operated with little transparency and accountability. The BOP should be safer and more productive for the people who reside and work in their facilities, and more accountable and transparent to taxpayers. It is known that when correctional officers are given the proper resources and prisoners are provide to pathways to rehabilitation there is a direct increase in public safety through reduced recidivism rates.
In a national poll, 82% of Americans said they believe there should be a system of independent oversight of our federal prisons. Support for H.R.3019 benefits not only individuals who are incarcerated, correctional staff, and communities, but also members of Congress. Equipped with the insights of an oversight body that conducts routine inspections, investigates systemic issues, collects and analyzes data, and reports its findings, members of Congress can make more informed policy and appropriations decisions. These decisions can save lives and ensure correctional staff can focus on fostering a safe environment behind bars which leads to success when incarcerated individuals return to society.