Senators push new oversight to combat federal prison crises

By MICHAEL R. SISAK and MICHAEL BALSAMO
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — A bipartisan group of U.S. senators introduced legislation Wednesday to overhaul oversight and bring greater transparency to the crisis-plagued federal Bureau of Prisons. That comes after reporting from The Associated Press that exposed systemic corruption in the federal prison system and increased congressional scrutiny. The bill, called the Federal Prison Oversight Act, would require the Justice Department to create a prisons ombudsman to field complaints about prison conditions, and would compel the department’s inspector general to evaluate risks and abuses at all 122 federal prison facilities.