NEWS: U.S. Senate Passes Sen. Ossoff’s Bipartisan Bill to Crack Down on Contraband & Organized Crime in Federal Prisons

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff's bipartisan bill to crack down on organized crime in Federal prisons has passed the Senate.

This week, the U.S. Senate passed Sen. Ossoff's bipartisan Lieutenant Osvaldo Albarati Stopping Prison Contraband Act to crack down on organized crime in Federal prisons.

Last February, Sens. Ossoff and Chuck Grassley (R-IA) introduced the bipartisan bill to crack down on the smuggling of contraband cellphones into Federal prisons by upgrading the charge of smuggling of a contraband cellphone into a Federal prison from a misdemeanor offense to a felony.

The legislation is named in honor of Lieutenant Osvaldo Albarati, a Bureau of Prisons (BOP) correctional officer who was murdered after completing his shift at the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) Guaynabo in Puerto Rico in 2013.Five men who later pleaded guilty to the crime admitted they targeted Albarati as a direct result of continuous seizures of contraband, including cellphones. The inmate who placed the hit on Albarati did so using a contraband cellphone.

"My bipartisan investigations of corruption, abuse, and misconduct in the Federal prison system have revealed systemic challenges that allow for the dangerous flow of contraband, which is a threat to safety and security," Sen. Ossoff said. "Our bipartisan bill will strengthen penalties for smuggling contraband into Federal prisons."

In 2022, Sen. Ossoff led a 10-month bipartisan investigation into corruption, abuse, and misconduct at FCI Atlanta (formerly named U.S. Penitentiary Atlanta). Among its many findings, Sen. Ossoff's bipartisan investigation uncovered a particular need to remove the massive number of illegal cellphones in the facility. For example, a 2021 sweep found800 contraband cell phones, which had been used, among many things, to run illegal drug rings and gang activity in and outside the facility.

A DOJ Inspector General report found FCI Atlanta had the most deaths of any Federal prison nationwide between 2014-2021. The same report also found that nationwide, contraband contributed to at least 1/3 of deaths in Federal prisons.

Sen. Ossoff continues to advocate for transparency and accountability in the Federal prison system.

In July 2024, Sen. Ossoff's bipartisan Federal Prison Oversight Act was signed into law, historic prison reform legislation to overhaul independent oversight of the Federal Bureau of Prisons' 122 facilities nationwide by mandating routine inspections of all facilities by the DOJ Inspector General and establishing a new Ombudsman to investigate the health, safety, welfare, and rights of incarcerated people and staff.

In December 2022, Sen. Ossoff's bipartisan Prison Camera Reform Act was signed into law, requiring the Federal Bureau of Prisons to upgrade outdated and broken security camera systems, ensuring all facilities have the coverage necessary to protect the safety of incarcerated people and staff.

Click here to read the Lieutenant Osvaldo Albarati Stopping Prison Contraband Act.

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