Grassley, Ossoff Laud Senate Passage of Bipartisan Prison Contraband Bill

Grassley, Ossoff Laud Senate Passage of Bipartisan Prison Contraband Bill

WASHINGTON - Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), a senior member and former chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) applauded the Senate's unanimous passage of their Lieutenant Osvaldo Albarati Stopping Prison Contraband Act. The bipartisan bill aims to increase the penalty for smuggling or possessing a contraband cellphone in federal prisons from a misdemeanor to a felony. It now awaits passage in the House of Representatives.

"Contraband cellphones allow prisoners to coordinate illegal activity from behind bars. That's an obvious security risk to prison staff, other inmates and the public," Grassley said. "I'm glad the Senate passed our bipartisan legislation to stiffen penalties for cellphone smuggling, and the House ought to follow suit."

"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," Ossoff said. "Bringing Republicans and Democrats together, we've passed our bipartisan bill to strengthen penalties for smuggling contraband into Federal prisons."

"A cell phone in a prison is a deadly weapon. Yet, as our investigative work continues to demonstrate, contraband cell phones have proven to be pervasive inside many federal prisons-a reality that undermines the safety and security of these institutions for BOP staff, inmates, and the public," said Department of Justice (DOJ) Inspector General Michael Horowitz. "Lieutenant Albarati was a true hero, selflessly dedicated to making his community and MDC Guaynabo safer by preventing criminal activity inside the facility. I commend Senators Ossoff, Grassley, and Booker for honoring his memory by sponsoring this public safety reform and for recognizing the severity of this problem. By making the introduction of a cell phone into a prison a felony, the Lieutenant Osvaldo Albarati Stopping Prison Contraband Act will allow investigators and prosecutors to more effectively bring to justice those introducing cell phones into prisons, curb the flow of illicit cell phones into prisons, make our communities and prisons safer, and help to save lives. We look forward to working with the House of Representatives on a bipartisan basis, as it considers this critical public safety reform."

Additional cosponsors include Sens. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), and Ted Cruz (R-Texas).

Bill text is available HERE.

Background:

The Lieutenant Osvaldo Albarati Stopping Prison Contraband Act builds on the Grassley-Feinstein Cell Phone Contraband Act, which became law in 2010, designating cellphones as contraband in federal prison.

Lieutenant Osvaldo Albarati, a Bureau of Prisons (BOP) correctional officer, was murdered in 2013 after completing his shift at a federal prison in Puerto Rico. Five men who plead 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.

A recent DOJ report from Inspector General Horowitz found nearly a third of deaths in BOP custody have occurred as a result of contraband, drugs or weapons.

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