The legislation follows 10 months of investigation.
A proposed bill before the Senate would establish independent oversight of the nation’s 22 federal prisons and require the Department of Justice’s inspector general to report its findings and recommendations publicly.
The move follows a Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations probe that found the DOJ’s tally of how many people died while in custody missed hundreds of deaths over the past couple of years. The investigation found that the problems spanned many years over multiple administrations, and committee staffers said there is widespread blame for the oversight.
“My 10-month bipartisan investigation of corruption, abuse, and misconduct in the Federal prison system revealed an urgent need to overhaul federal prison oversight,” stated Senator Jon Ossoff of Georgia, chair of the Senate committee.
“More transparency and accountability will help create a safer environment for the correctional officers and staff who work in our federal prisons, and will help crack down on violence against corrections officers and contraband that endangers the health and safety of prison staff,” Senator Mike Braun of Indiana said. “This bill does not allow the Department of Justice to intervene into the affairs of state and local jails, and will help to improve working conditions and keep our federal corrections officers safe.”
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For Director Colette Peters as she takes over the management of the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
- For the senators as they seek to rectify the damaging findings of the subcommittee investigation.
- For Attorney General Merrick Garland to run the Justice Department with integrity and transparency.
Sources: Just The News, Capitol Beat
