Ossoff's 'Prison Camera Reform Act' signed into law
WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 4: Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA) speaks during a Senate Judiciary Committee business meeting to vote on Supreme Court nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson on Capitol Hill, April 4, 2022 in Washington, DC. A confirmation vote from the f (Getty Images)
WASHINGTON - A bipartisan bill introduced by Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff that would require federal prisons to upgrade outdated and broken security cameras has just been signed into law.
As of Dec. 27, the Federal Bureau of Prisons now has a legal obligation to ensure all facilities have the coverage necessary to protect the safety of its detainees and staff.
"I’ve led multiple investigations of crime and corruption in Federal prisons, and broken prison camera systems are enabling corruption, misconduct, and abuse," Sen. Ossoff said. "That’s why I brought Republicans and Democrats together to pass my ‘Prison Camera Reform Act’, which is now law."
That act was introduced in 2021 with the hope that a new system would generate transparency, accountability and improved safety for everyone involved.
On Dec. 13, Sen. Ossoff unveiled an 8-month bipartisan investigation into the sexual abuse of women in federal prisons, which he said showed the Federal Bureau of Prisons failed to prevent, detect and stop recurring abuse by its own employees. Sexual abuse survivors testified that employees would assault them in areas where they knew there was no camera coverage.
Read the entire Prison Camera Reform Act here:
President Joe Biden signed the act into law on Tuesday.