Ernst Presses Biden DOJ on Understaffing of Federal Prisons, Attempt to Use Staff at Southern Border
The Iowa senator is demanding answers about the president’s plan and how it will impact the safety of inmates and prison personnel who are already shorthanded.
WASHINGTON – As the Biden administration attempts to shift prison personnel to the Southern border to help deal with the fallout from their push to lift Title 42—despite widespread reports of understaffing at Federal Bureau of Prison (BOP) facilities already—U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) is demanding answers about the president’s plan and how it will impact the safety of inmates and prison personnel who are already shorthanded.
On the BOP staffing concerns, Ernst writes: “Among the many issues staffing shortages cause, I am most concerned with a decrease in safety for staff and inmates, in addition to a decline in morale among correctional officers. Mandatory overtime and the practice of augmentation make the difficult work of BOP personnel even more challenging, and the BOP should be taking every possible step to ensure each federal prison is fully staffed, as soon as possible.”
On the administration’s plan to shift BOP staff to the border, Ernst says: “it is unclear and questionable how the BOP has the manpower to execute DHS’ plan while ensuring safe facilities and fully addressing all of its congressionally-delegated requirements, while not implementing abusive staffing practices.”
Ernst requests answers to the following questions from the Department of Justice by June 1, 2022:
- Has the BOP ever removed an authorized position to manipulate a report on staffing levels?
- How has the BOP altered its staffing practices to make them safer since the murders of Officer Jose Rivera (2008 USP Atwater, CA) and Eric Williams (2013 USP Canaan, PA)?
- Is the BOP staffing more than one officer in all housing units at a time? If not, why?
- How many assaults have been reported against BOP staff in the last year? How does this compare to the previous 5 years?
- How has the practice of augmenting staff impacted the implementation of the First Step Act?
- How has the issue of understaffed prisons impacted the safety of BOP personnel and inmates inside the prison?
- How does the BOP intend to increase staffing to the level necessary for safety and full implementation of the First Step Act?
- What is the BOP doing to combat the use of abusive or punitive mandatory overtime?
- How will the use of BOP resources to transport illegal immigrants between DHS facilities impact the BOP’s operations?
- How does the BOP plan to cover the positions of those called to assist DHS in combatting the influx of illegal immigrants due to the rescission of Title 42?”
To read the full letter, click here.
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