[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 10]
[House]
[Page 13711]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      HONORING OFFICER JOSE RIVERA

  (Mr. CARDOZA asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. CARDOZA. Mr. Speaker, it is with great sadness that I rise today 
to honor the late Jose Rivera, a correctional officer at the Federal 
penitentiary in Atwater, California.
  Officer Rivera's life was taken by two inmates on Friday, June 20, 
2008. He was 22 years old. He is survived by his mother, Terry, by his 
sisters Teresa, Martha and Angelica and by his brother, Daniel.
  After graduating from Le Grand High School, he served for 4 years in 
the Navy, completing two tours of duty in Iraq, and he began his career 
as a correctional officer on August 5, 2007. His life of service was 
cut tragically short.
  Mr. Speaker, I have long voiced my concerns, most recently in a 
letter I sent in April to the director of the Bureau of Prisons, about 
the lack of sufficient resources and staff to safely operate our 
Federal prisons.
  The fact is that staffing levels are decreasing while inmate 
populations are increasing. The Atwater Penitentiary is operating at 85 
percent of the staffing level and is at 25 percent overcapacity for 
inmate levels.
  As we honor Officer Rivera's legacy of commitment and service to our 
country, his senseless death is a reminder that we must provide 
adequate funds to keep our prisons and our communities safe.

                          ____________________