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. 
S. 2899—2 

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— 
S. 2899—3 

(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.