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Congressman Tim Walberg (MI-07) and Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (MI-12) introduced bipartisan legislation to bring more accountability to the federal prison system. H.R. 5042, the Federal Prisons Accountability Act, would require the Director of the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) to receive a presidential appointment and a confirmation by the U.S. Senate, as is the case for nearly all other top federal law enforcement agency officials. Currently, the Director of BOP is appointed by the Attorney General and not subject to Senate approval. 

As the number of inmates and costs of incarceration have risen dramatically in recent decades, increasing congressional oversight will help ensure the agency is effectively using taxpayer resources, responsive to inmates and corrections employees, and successfully addressing the rehabilitation and mental health needs of the federal prison population. In Michigan, Washtenaw County is home to the Milan Federal Correctional Institution, which has approximately 1,500 inmates and 400 staff members.

“Our federal prison system is in dire need of reform, and we can begin by adding more oversight and accountability to the Bureau of Prisons,” said Congressman Walberg. “Congressional review is essential to ensuring an agency this large stewards taxpayer dollars well and remains focused on improving outcomes for both inmates and employees alike.”

“There is broad bipartisan support in Congress for criminal justice reform, and improving oversight of the Bureau of Prisons is a first step in ensuring better outcomes for inmates, employees and taxpayers,” said Congresswoman Dingell. “Mental health is an important aspect that is often overlooked, and improving Congressional oversight of the BOP will help ensure improving these services in our prisons is a priority.”

The bill was also introduced in the Senate earlier this year by Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ), Rand Paul (R-KY), and Mike Lee (R-UT).