New law will bring more oversight to federal prisons like Hazelton

WASHINGTON, D.C. (WBOY) — More oversight is coming to the federal prison system after the Federal Prison Oversight Act was signed into law by President Joe Biden.

Both of West Virginia’s senators, Sen. Joe Manchin (I) and Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R) sponsored the legislation after Federal Corrections Complex (FCC) Hazelton garnered national attention following a whistleblower alleging abuse, escapes and cover-ups .

Since then, multiple actions have been taken in an attempt to address the staffing shortage at FCC Hazelton , including retention pay and direct-hire authority .

Now, with the Federal Prison Oversight Act , all 122 federal correctional facilities nationwide will be subject to mandatory routine inspections of all facilities by the Department of Justice (DOJ) Inspector General. Additionally, a new supervisory body will be created to investigate the health, safety, welfare and rights of incarcerated people and staff.

“Our bipartisan, bicameral Federal Prison Oversight Act is historic legislation that will truly improve safety and accountability in all federal prison facilities for both staff and inmates,” Sen. Manchin said in a press release. “Following serious accounts of abuse, staff shortages, and dangerous conditions at federal prisons in West Virginia and across the nation, it is even more critical that this commonsense legislation be swiftly implemented. I am grateful to my bipartisan colleagues who worked together to get it across the finish line and I look forward to seeing its impact on improving our federal prison system.”

“I was proud to work alongside my colleagues to get the Federal Prison Oversight Act through Congress and now signed into law. Investigations into our federal prisons produced shocking and alarming findings, and reports of misconduct, abuse, and inadequate facilities are unacceptable. The state and condition of our federal prisons is something I have frequently discussed with constituents, families, and corrections officers, and it’s a positive development that needed oversight will soon be implemented,” Sen. Capito said in a press release.

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