Washington, D.C. – The Senate has passed the Prison Staff Safety Enhancement Act introduced by U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) to help address the increasingly pervasive sexual assault and harassment of Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) employees by inmates:
“Last year, nearly half of surveyed Bureau of Prisons staff stated they had been sexually harassed or assaulted by an inmate. This statistic is appalling and unacceptable. No federal employee or law enforcement officer should have to fear for their safety when they show up to work, and I’m pleased to see the Prison Staff Safety Enhancement Act move one step closer to becoming law,” said Senator Blackburn.
“I remain focused on oversight of the Federal prison system and ending sexual abuse in prisons and jails, including the abuse of prison staff. Senator Blackburn and I brought Republicans and Democrats together to pass this bipartisan bill to help end sexual abuse in Federal prisons,” said Senator Ossoff.
Background
- According to a February 2023 report by the U.S. Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General (DOJ OIG), a staggering 40% of 7,000 surveyed BOP staff stated they had been sexually harassed or sexually assaulted by an inmate.
- The 2023 report found that the BOP has inadequate data on inmate-on-staff sexual harassment and assault and has not been able to fully ascertain the scope of this widespread problem. The report also made a number of significant recommendations for the BOP to implement to help the agency better understand and mitigate this nationwide problem.
- At the United States Penitentiary Thomson (USP Thomson) in Illinois, the American Federation of Government Employees reported that there had been over 300 incidents of inmate-on-staff sexual harassment in 2022 alone. USP Thomson houses only 875 inmates.
- This report, combined with BOP staff testimonials on this troubling problem, strongly suggest that BOP’s reporting and corrective procedures for inmate-on-staff sexual assault and harassment are inadequate, creating an institutional culture that lacks accountability and endangers BOP employees.
The Prison Staff Safety Enhancement Act
- The Prison Staff Safety Enhancement Act would require:
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- The BOP to fully implement the recommendations in the Inspector General’s 2023 report regarding mitigating inmate-on-staff sexual harassment and assault and fully ascertaining the scope of the problem;
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- The DOJ OIG to conduct an analysis of punishments for sexual harassment and sexual assault in BOP facilities; and
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- The U.S. Attorney General to promulgate a rule adopting national standards for prevention, reduction, and punishment of sexual assault and harassment of BOP staff by inmates.
- Senators Blackburn and Ossoff sent a letter to BOP Director Colette Peters requesting that BOP release information about inmate-on-staff sexual assault and harassment reporting procedures, correctional methods, and staff assistance programs.
- Council of Prison Locals 33 National President Brandy Moore White wrote a letter expressing support for this legislation.
Related
Click here for bill text.
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