Bipartisan Coalition of NY Members Express Concern Over Requested Staffing Cuts at the U.S. Bureau of Prisons
Washington D.C. – Today, Representatives John J. Faso (R-NY), Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY), Peter T. King (R-NY), Sean Patrick Maloney (D-NY), John M. Katko (R-NY), Elise M. Stefanik (R-NY), and Claudia Tenney (R-NY) expressed concern in a letter sent to Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Acting Director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons Hugh J. Hurwitz over requested staffing cuts at the U.S. Bureau of Prisons (BOP).
BOP proposed 6,132 position cuts in Fiscal Year 2018 and an additional 1,168 in Fiscal Year 2019. At the same time, BOP projects that the inmate population will increase by 6,435 inmates, or 3.4 percent, by 2019. As assaults on federal prison staff are on the rise, drastic cuts threaten the safety of the correctional officers and penitentiary staff working in BOP facilities, especially those who undertake custody of our nation’s most dangerous inmates.
Read the full letter below and find a signed copy by clicking here.
June 19, 2018
Hon. Jeff Sessions
Attorney General
U.S. Department of Justice
Hon. Hugh J. Hurwitz
Acting Director
Federal Bureau of Prisons
Dear Attorney General Sessions and Acting Director Hurwitz:
We write to express our concern regarding staffing cuts at the U.S. Bureau of Prisons (BOP).
Our shared priority is the safety and success of the men and women who work in federal penitentiaries and are affected by recent and proposed changes.
As you well know, BOP has requested significant cuts to staff positions in recent years. BOP proposed 6,132 position cuts in Fiscal Year 2018 and an additional 1,168 in Fiscal Year 2019. At the same time, BOP projects that the inmate population will increase by 6,435 inmates, or 3.4 percent, by 2019. A sharp 14-16 percent decrease in staffing levels will not promote the effectiveness and safety of the operations carried out by federal penitentiary staff, particularly as inmate populations increase. Former BOP Director Charles E. Samuels Jr. expressed concerns about high inmate-to-staff ratios during his 2015 testimony before Congress. At the time of his testimony, ratios stood at 4.4-to-1, and today they have risen even further to 8.3-to-1.
New York is home to four BOP facilities and many of the hardest working correctional officers and penitentiary staff in the country. They do a dangerous job every day and keep our communities safe, and also provide important correctional services for inmates. The safety of federal correctional staff should be prioritized when considering changes to staffing levels at these facilities. Often, the result of such cuts is the use of staff “augmentation,” which is designed to significantly expand responsibilities for staff members in times of urgency. Sustained periods of augmentation are unsafe, especially when it is often the education, medical, and other non-custody employees who are asked to undertake correctional officers’ positions and custody responsibility for high-risk inmates.
As BOP seeks additional staff cuts, it is important that staff responsibilities are not overextended. We respectfully request information on BOP’s plans to address staff safety concerns at federal penitentiaries. Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Sincerely,
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John J. Faso
Member of Congress
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Peter T. King
Member of Congress
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John M. Katko
Member of Congress
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Claudia Tenney
Member of Congress
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Nydia M. Velázquez
Member of Congress
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Sean Patrick Maloney
Member of Congress
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Elise M. Stefanik
Member of Congress