Interdiction of Fentanyl in Federal Prisons Act

Bill: 118-s-5128
Sponsor: full_name: Sen. Casey, Robert P., Jr. [D-PA]
Introduced: 2024-09-19
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement
Latest action: action_date: 2024-09-19
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

Summaries:

tv_txt: II 118th CONGRESS 2d Session S. 5128 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES September 19, 2024 Mr. Casey (for himself and Mr. Heinrich ) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary A BILL To require the Director of the Bureau of Prisons to develop and implement a strategy to interdict illicit substances and other contraband in the mail at Federal correctional facilities.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Interdiction of Fentanyl in Federal Prisons Act . 2. Definitions In this Act: (1) Contraband The term contraband means any material prohibited by law, regulation, or policy of the Bureau of Prisons that can reasonably be expected to cause physical injury or adversely affect the safety, security, or good order of a facility operated by the Bureau of Prisons or the protection of the public. (2) Illicit substance The term illicit substance has the meaning given the term controlled substance in section 102 of the Controlled Substances Act ( 21 U.S.C. 802 ). (3) Director The term Director means the Director of the Bureau of Prisons. (4) Opioid The term opioid has the meaning given that term in section 102 of the Controlled Substances Act ( 21 U.S.C. 802 ). 3. Strategy to interdict illicit substances and other contraband in postal mail (a) Evaluation Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Director shall evaluate— (1) the acquisition and deployment of equipment to interdict illicit substances and other contraband by Federal correctional facilities; (2) the use of technology services to scan mail by Federal correctional facilities; and (3) whether any technology used by other Federal agencies to intercept and interdict illicit substances and other contraband in the mail may be used by the Bureau of Prisons. (b) Strategy Not later than 90 days after completing the evaluation under subsection (a), the Director shall submit to the Committee on the Judiciary of the Senate and the Committee on the Judiciary of the House of Representatives a strategy to provide each Federal correctional facility with capabilities necessary to— (1) protect staff and inmates from exposure and access to illicit substances and other contraband, including opioids and other narcotics, introduced to facilities through the mail; (2) ensure that— (A) each inmate receives a digital copy of any mail that is addressed to the inmate, consistent with the law and the safety procedures implemented by the Bureau of Prisons; (B) as soon as practicable, the inmate receives the original physical copy of the mail received in digital format under subparagraph (A), consistent with the law and the safety procedures implemented by the Bureau of Prisons; and (C) delivery to any inmate under subparagraphs (A) and (B) is documented; and (3) achieve 100 percent scanning capacity of mail arriving at all Federal correctional facilities. (c) Contents The strategy required under subsection (b) shall— (1) identify critical information technology, digital mail scanning equipment, and mail scanning services necessary to achieve the scanning capacity described in subsection (b)(3); (2) include an assessment of operational and logistical considerations, including— (A) prioritization of high security and large inmate population facilities for digital mail scanning infrastructure and security technology deployment; (B) an assessment of any additional personnel and technology training necessary to implement the strategy; and (C) requirements for the maintenance of scanning equipment and periodic digital technology upgrades; and (3) include an equipment and technology budgetary proposal for fiscal years 2025 through 2027 in order to fully implement the strategy described under subsection (b). (d) Annual progress reports Not later than 1 year after the date on which the strategy under subsection (b) is submitted, and each year thereafter, the Director 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 efficiency of the strategy and the total quantity of illicit substances and other contraband detected in the mail at Federal correctional facilities.