Sponsors (7)
The bill standardizes and modernizes photographic records to aid prison identification and operations, but does so at the cost of prisoner privacy and with meaningful data-security and taxpayer risk if those photo records are breached.
Federal law enforcement agencies and Bureau of Prisons (BOP) staff will have a standardized, up-to-date photographic reference for every federal prisoner, improving identification, custody management, and day-to-day prison operations.
Taxpayers and federal employees face increased risk and potential liability if the centralized database of inmate photos is breached, exposing sensitive records and creating data-security costs for the government.
People in federal prisons (including people with disabilities) will have unobstructed facial photos collected and maintained, creating privacy and dignity harms and potential misuse of biometric imagery.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Requires the Bureau of Prisons Director to maintain a photographic directory with an unobstructed facial photo for each person in BOP custody.
Official title: To amend title 18, United States Code, to direct the Director of the Bureau of Prisons to maintain a photographic directory of Federal prisoners, and for other purposes.
Introduced May 12, 2026 by Scott Perry · Last progress May 12, 2026
Requires the Bureau of Prisons Director to create and maintain a photographic directory containing a clear, unobstructed photo of the face of every person in BOP custody. The change amends Title 18 to add a new chapter and section establishing this directory requirement for federal prison records.