Prison Staff Safety Enhancement Act

This bill aims to better protect federal prison staff from sexual harassment and sexual assault by people in federal prisons. It orders the Justice Department’s Inspector General to study how often this happens, how it affects staff, and what punishments have been used over the past five years in federal prisons. After that study and a report, the Attorney General must set national standards to prevent, reduce, and punish this behavior in federal facilities.

Key points

• Who is affected: Employees of the Federal Bureau of Prisons and people incarcerated in federal prisons.
• What changes: A nationwide review of incidents and current punishments, followed by new national standards to prevent, reduce, and punish harassment and assault in federal prisons .
• When: The Inspector General must finish the review within 1 year of the law taking effect and report results within 180 days after that. The Attorney General must issue the new standards within 1 year after receiving the report.