Having to do with the administration of federal prisons, the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) is part of the Department of Justice. Washington, DC-based Bureau of Prisons operates 117 prisons, six regional offices, two staff training centers, and 22 community correctional facilities. Nearly 219,000 federal inmates (projected total for FY 2013) are housed in the agency — about 80% of them in government facilities, while the remainder are housed in private prisons. Furthermore, the Bureau is responsible for carrying out any federal execution mandated by federal law. It operates a lethal injection center in Terre Haute, Indiana, where Timothy McVeigh, the Oklahoma City bomber, was executed in 2001. The BOP has also been criticized for budget cuts, privatization, and agency contracting practices in addition to its use of capital punishment.
History:
The Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) was established by the Justice Department in 1930 with chief duties being management and regulation of “all federal penal correctional institutions.” At the time of its founding, the bureau managed 11 federal prisons. At the end of 1930, the Bureau operated 14 facilities with just over 13,000 inmates; by 1940, the number of facilities increased to 24 and the number of inmates rose to 24,360.
Although there were some minor changes, inmates remained relatively stable before 1980, when the prison population numbered 24,252. The number of facilities almost doubled as the operational structure transformed from large facilities with mixed security levels to smaller facilities confining similar security-level inmates.
In 1984, the Sentencing Reform Act set determinate sentences, abolished parole, and reduced good time. In 1986, 1988, and 1990, several mandatory minimum sentences were established by the law. Inmates doubled from a little over 24,000 in 1980 to almost 58,000 in 1989 The numbers were more than doubled by illegal immigration and drug-related offenses in the 1990s and they had a drastic effect on convictions.”
As inmate numbers grew, so did staff levels. Only about 10,000 employees worked for the bureau in 1980 and nearly 19,000. Approximately 42,000 people were expected to enroll in 2013.
Capital Punishment
The federal government can also use the death penalty to penalize certain federal offenses, in addition to state capital punishment laws. Since the death penalty was first introduced in 1790, 336 men and four women have been executed. There were 16 percent minority defendants who were executed by the federal government during the 20th century. Between 1927 and 2003, there were 37 federal executions (see Race and the Federal Death Penalty). 1972 – on the basis of “arbitrary and capricious application,” all state death penalty laws were deemed unconstitutional by the Supreme Court — the ruling had similar impact on federal laws. Federal executions were not carried out between 1963 and 1988, when the death penalty was reinstated.
In addition to 119 prisons, six regional offices, two training centers, and 22 residential reentry management offices (formerly community corrections offices), the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) operates a number of complexes around the country. Providing oversight and support to the residential reentry management offices and prisons is the responsibility of the regional offices and the headquarters. A residential reentry center and a home confinement program are overseen by the latter. A total of 219,900 federal inmates are currently under the custody of the BOP; 79% of these inmates reside in correctional facilities or detention centers. Another 21% are housed in private prisons, community facilities, or local jails.
Prison Industry “Mandatory Source” Clause Draws Controversy
Officials with Federal Prison Industries (FPI), which offers furniture, clothing, and other products to U.S. government agencies, predicted huge sales losses if the proposed law passed.
Long before the FPI became mandatory, federal purchases had to come from it. Pentagon bids from alternative sources were required to be considered by the Defense Authorization Act of 2008.
If the prison industry could not meet the Defense Department’s quality, price, and delivery time requirements, the mandate affected the Defense Department’s purchases of more than 5% of goods and services from FPI.
Former Bureau of Prisons (BOP) director Harley Lapping told the House Judiciary Committee that the new rule would hinder FPI’s ability to sell products and negatively impact 3,250 inmate jobs. It’s estimated that BOP officers will lose twice as much money.
Bills similar to this one were introduced in 2012. In May 2013, another bill was introduced and referred to committee, which gave the FPI five years to adjust to actually competing on equal ground with industries, and instead give them real opportunities to learn vocational skills or use their talents to support nonprofits and other public agencies. The chances of the bill passing are estimated at 1 in 20. In the meantime, the FPI won a $45 million contract and laid off 100 workers from a Tennessee clothing company; Tinnier, which made clothes for the military, lost the contract.
