HR-3356 : Still Just a Bill

Prison Reform and Redemption Act

This bill directs the Department of Justice to develop the Post-Sentencing Risk and Needs Assessment System for use by the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) to assess prisoner recidivism risk; guide housing, grouping, and program assignments; and incentivize and reward participation in and completion of recidivism reduction programs and productive activities.

It amends the federal criminal code to:

• require the BOP to implement the Post-Sentencing Risk and Needs Assessment System;
• establish prerelease custody procedures for prisoners who, among other things, earn time credits for successfully completing recidivism reduction programs or productive activities;
• prohibit, subject to specified exceptions, the use of restraints on federal prisoners who are pregnant or in postpartum recovery; and
• broaden the duties of probation and pretrial services officers to include court-directed supervision of sex offenders conditionally released from civil commitment.

The BOP must:

• incorporate de-escalation techniques into its training programs;
• report on its ability to treat heroin and opioid abuse through medication-assisted treatment;
• establish pilot programs on youth mentorship and service to abandoned, rescued, or vulnerable animals; and
• designate a release preparation coordinator at each facility that houses prisoners.

The bill prohibits monitoring the contents of an electronic communication between a prisoner at a BOP facility and the prisoner's attorney.

It amends the Second Chance Act of 2007 to reauthorize through FY2022 and modify eligibility criteria for an elderly offender early release pilot program.

Lieutenant Osvaldo Albarati Correctional Officer Self-Protection Act of 2017

The bill amends the federal criminal code to require the BOP to allow federal correctional officers to securely store and carry concealed firearms on BOP premises outside the security perimeter of a prison.