Overcrowded Federal Prisons Ask For Help
“We are facing significant challenges that are ultimately putting our staff at risk, putting prisoners at risk, and the community at risk,” said Federal Bureau of Prisons Director Charles Samuels.
Charles Samuels, director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons, is sworn in to a Constitution, Civil Rights and Human Rights Subcommittee hearing in June. A mock prison cell appears in the background. (Photo By Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call) | Getty
By Marissa Higdon
(TRNS) — Federal Bureau of Prisons Director Charles Samuels asked Congress today to pass legislation that would help federal prisons deal with overcrowding and repeat offenders.
“We are facing significant challenges that are ultimately putting our staff at risk, putting prisoners at risk, and the community at risk,” Samuels said during a hearing held by the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Samuels urged lawmakers to pass the Second Chance Reauthorization Act, which would reward inmates with reduced prison sentences for good behavior. He said the legislation would encourage inmates to behave better, increase the safety within prisons, and would allow inmates to leave sooner, reducing overcrowding.
He also showed support for an initiative that would give inmates reduced sentences as an incentive to participate in programs that reduce the chance of recidivism.
Programs like Federal Prison Industries, a program designed to give inmates a chance to learn workplace skills, and the Residential Drug Abuse Treatment Program have been proven to reduce the chances of inmates becoming repeat offenders, said Samuels. He argued that creating incentives for these programs would increase the safety of prisons by keeping inmates busy, decrease overcrowding by shortening sentences, and reduce recidivism by giving inmates the life skills they need to succeed outside of prison.
Nancy La Vigne, the Director of the Justice Policy Center for the Urban Institute, also said that shorter minimum sentences for drug-related crimes may make an impact.
“Changes in sentencing laws (particularly mandatory minimums) and practices, prison release policies, or both could directly decrease the time served and thereby moderate prison population growth,” she said.
Samuels stressed the need for reform, saying prisons are overcrowded.
“System-wide, the Bureau is operating at 36 percent over rated capacity and crowding is of special concern at higher security facilities, with 51 percent crowding at high security facilities and 45 percent at medium security facilities,” he said.
He added that there is a positive correlation between violent incidents and prison population, which creates an unsafe prison environment for both staff and inmates.