[Congressional Bills 104th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 663 Introduced in House (IH)]
104th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 663
To amend the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 to
prevent luxurious conditions in prisons.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
January 24, 1995
Mr. Zimmer (for himself, Mr. Stump, Mrs. Myrick, and Mr. Rohrabacher)
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on
the Judiciary
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 to
prevent luxurious conditions in prisons.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``No Frills Prison Act''.
SEC. 2. ELIMINATION OF LUXURIOUS PRISON CONDITIONS.
(a) States.--Section 20102(a) of the Violent Crime Control and Law
Enforcement Act of 1994 is amended--
(1) by inserting ``(A)'' after ``(1)'';
(2) by redesignating existing paragraph (2) as
subparagraph (B);
(3) by redesignating existing subparagraphs (A)
through (D) as clauses (i) through (iv) respectively;
(4) by redesignating existing clauses (i) and (ii)
as subclauses (I) and (II);
(5) by striking the period at the end and inserting
``; and''; and
(6) by adding at the end the following:
``(2) provides living conditions and opportunities to
prisoners within its prisons that are not more luxurious than
those conditions and opportunities the average prisoner would
have experienced if such prisoner were not incarcerated, and
does not provide to any such prisoner--
``(A)(i) earned good time credits;
``(ii) less than 40 hours a week of work that
either offsets or reduces the expenses of keeping the
prisoner or provides resources toward restitution of
victims;
``(iii) unmonitored phone calls, except when
between the prisoner and the prisoner's immediate
family or legal counsel;
``(iv) in-cell television viewing;
``(v) the viewing of R, X, or NC-17 rated movies,
through whatever medium presented;
``(vi) possession of any pornographic materials;
``(vii) any instruction (live or through
broadcasts) or training equipment for boxing,
wrestling, judo, karate, or other martial art, or any
bodybuilding or weightlifting equipment of any sort;
``(viii) except for use during required work, the
use or possession of any electric or electronic musical
instrument, or practice on any musical instrument for
more than one hour a day;
``(ix) use of personally owned computers or modems;
``(x) possession of in-cell coffee pots, hot
plates, or heating elements;
``(xi) any living or work quarters into which the
outside view is obstructed;
``(xii) food exceeding in quality or quantity that
which is available to enlisted personnel in the United
States Army;
``(xiii) dress or hygiene, grooming and appearance
other than those allowed as uniform or standard in the
prison; or
``(xiv) equipment or facilities at public expense
for publishing or broadcasting content not previously
approved by prison officials as consistent with prison
order and prisoner discipline; and
``(B) in the case of a prisoner who is serving a sentence
for a crime of violence which resulted in serious bodily injury
to another--
``(i) housing other than in separate cell blocks
intended for violent prisoners and designed to emphasis
punishment rather than rehabilitation;
``(ii) less than 9 hours a day of physical labor,
with confinement to cell for any refusing to engage in
that labor, but a prisoner not physically able to do
physical labor may be assigned to alternate labor;
``(iii) any temporary furlough, leave, excursion,
or other release from the prison for any purpose,
unless the prisoner remains at all times under physical
or mechanical restraints, such as handcuffs, and under
the constant escort and immediate supervision of a
least one armed correctional officer;
``(iv) any viewing of television;
``(v) any inter-prison travel for competitive
sports, whether as a participant or spectator;
``(vi) more than one hour a day spent in sports or
exercise; or''.
``(vii) possession of personal property exceeding
75 pounds in total weight or that cannot be stowed in a
standard size United States military issue duffel
bag.''.
(b) Federal.--
(1) Generally.--The Attorney General shall by rule
establish conditions in the Federal prison system that, as
nearly as may be, are the same as those conditions required in
State prisons under section 20102(a) of the Violent Crime
Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 as amended by this
section.
(2) Conforming Amendment.--Section 3624 of title 18, United
States Code, is amended by striking subsection (b).
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