[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2899 Enrolled Bill (ENR)]

        S.2899

                    One Hundred Seventeenth Congress

                                 of the

                        United States of America


                          AT THE SECOND SESSION

           Begun and held at the City of Washington on Monday,
          the third day of January, two thousand and twenty two


                                 An Act


 
To require the Director of the Bureau of Prisons to address deficiencies 
and make necessary upgrades to the security camera and radio systems of 
 the Bureau of Prisons to ensure the health and safety of employees and 
                                inmates.

    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 ``Prison Camera Reform Act of 2021''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
    Congress finds the following:
        (1) The Bureau of Prisons has 122 institutions located 
    throughout the United States. The Bureau of Prisons employs nearly 
    38,000 employees and is responsible for more than 150,000 Federal 
    inmates.
        (2) Video footage from security camera systems and reliable 
    communication over radio systems within Bureau of Prisons 
    institutions are essential to protecting the health and safety of 
    Bureau of Prisons employees and Federal inmates.
        (3) Based on the experience of Bureau of Prisons correctional 
    staff, the noticeable presence of functioning security cameras 
    serves as an effective deterrent to criminal behavior and 
    misconduct.
        (4) Well-documented deficiencies of camera systems at Bureau of 
    Prisons' facilities have hindered investigators' ability to 
    substantiate allegations of serious misconduct by staff and 
    inmates, including sexual and physical assaults, medical neglect, 
    and introduction of contraband.
        (5) In a 2016 report, the Office of the Inspector General for 
    the Department of Justice determined that ``deficiencies within the 
    BOP's security camera system have affected the OIG's ability to 
    secure prosecutions of staff and inmates in BOP contraband 
    introduction cases, and these same problems adversely impact the 
    availability of critical evidence to support administrative or 
    disciplinary action against staff and inmates''.
        (6) Shortcomings in the land-mobile radio systems at Bureau of 
    Prison facilities institutions impede the communication abilities 
    of staff, slowing or preventing the response of correctional 
    officers during an emergency or threat of attack, and jeopardizing 
    the safety of both staff and Federal inmates.
SEC. 3. REQUIRED PLAN FOR REFORM OF BOP SECURITY CAMERA AND RADIO 
COVERAGE AND CAPABILITIES.
    (a) Plan.--Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment of 
this Act, the Director of the Bureau of Prisons shall--
        (1) evaluate the security camera, land-mobile radio (referred 
    to in this Act as ``LMR''), and public address (referred to in this 
    Act as ``PA'') systems in use by the Bureau of Prisons as of the 
    date of enactment of this Act; and
        (2) submit to the Committee on the Judiciary of the Senate and 
    the Committee on the Judiciary of the House of Representatives a 
    plan for ensuring that all Bureau of Prisons correctional 
    facilities have the security camera, LMR, and PA system coverage 
    and capabilities necessary to--
            (A) ensure the health and safety of staff and Federal 
        inmates; and
            (B) ensure the documentation and accessibility of video 
        evidence that may pertain to misconduct by staff or inmates, 
        negligent or abusive treatment of inmates, or criminal activity 
        within correctional facilities.
    (b) Contents.--The plan required under subsection (a) shall--
        (1) identify and include plans to address any deficiencies in 
    the security camera system in use at Bureau of Prisons correctional 
    facilities, including those related to--
            (A) an insufficient number of cameras;
            (B) inoperable or malfunctioning cameras;
            (C) blind spots;
            (D) poor quality video; and
            (E) any other deficits in the security camera system;
        (2) identify and include plans to adopt and maintain any 
    security camera system upgrades needed to achieve the purposes 
    described in subsection (a), including--
            (A) conversion of all analog cameras to digital 
        surveillance systems, with corresponding infrastructure and 
        equipment upgrade requirements;
            (B) upgrades to ensure the secure storage, logging, 
        preservation, and accessibility of recordings such that the 
        recordings are available to investigators or Courts at such 
        time as may be reasonably required; and
            (C) additional enterprise-wide camera system capabilities 
        needed to enhance the safety and security of inmates and staff;
        (3) identify and include plans to address any deficiencies in 
    the LMR and PA systems in use at Bureau of Prisons correctional 
    facilities, including those related to--
            (A) an inadequate number of radios;
            (B) inoperable, outdated, or malfunctioning LMR or PA 
        systems;
            (C) areas of Bureau of Prisons correctional facilities that 
        lack adequate reception for radio operation;
            (D) radios that lack an emergency notification feature 
        (also known as a ``man down'' function), which automatically 
        sends an alert and transmits the location of that radio in the 
        event the wearer is in a prone position; and
            (E) any other deficits in the LMR or PA systems;
        (4) include an assessment of operational and logistical 
    considerations in implementing the plan required under subsection 
    (a), including--
            (A) a prioritization of facilities for needed upgrades, 
        beginning with high security institutions;
            (B) the personnel and training necessary to implement the 
        changes; and
            (C) ongoing repair and maintenance requirements; and
        (5) include a 3-year strategic plan and cost projection for 
    implementing the changes and upgrades to the security camera, LMR, 
    and PA systems identified under paragraphs (1) through (4).
    (c) Implementation Deadline.--Not later than 3 years after the date 
on which the plan is submitted under subsection (a)(2), and subject to 
appropriations, the Director of the Bureau of Prisons shall complete 
implementation of the submitted plan.
    (d) Annual Progress Reports.--Beginning 1 year after the date on 
which the plan is submitted under subsection (a)(2), and each year 
thereafter until the end of the 3-year period described in subsection 
(c), the Director of the Bureau of Prisons shall submit to the 
Committee on the Judiciary of the Senate and the Committee on the 
Judiciary of the House of Representatives a report on the progress of 
the implementation of the submitted plan.

                               Speaker of the House of Representatives.

                            Vice President of the United States and    
                                               President of the Senate.