Grassley, Ossoff Reintroduce Bipartisan Bill to Curb Prison Contraband

WASHINGTON– Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) today introduced bipartisan legislation to stem the flow of contraband in federal prisons. TheLieutenant Osvaldo Albarati Stopping Prison Contraband Actwould enhance safety and accountability measures in federal prisons by upgrading the penalty for smuggling or possessing a contraband cellphone in federal prison from a misdemeanor to a felony.
“Contraband cellphones are a deadly and pervasive problem in many of our nation’s federal prisons. Stiffening penalties for cellphone smuggling will go a long way to improve our prison system and keep inmates, prison staff, and the general public safe,”Grassley said.
“My bipartisan investigations of corruption, abuse, and misconduct in the federal prison system have revealed systemic challenges that allow for the dangerous flow of contraband, which is a threat to safety and security,”Ossoff said.“Senator Grassley and I are introducing this bipartisan bill to strengthen penalties for smuggling contraband into federal prisons.”
“[I] offer my strong support for theLt. Osvaldo Albarati Stopping Prison Contraband Act, which you are planning to introduce into the 119thCongress. The fact that this bill now makes it a felony instead of a misdemeanor is something that is not only providing some justice for my husband’s sacrifice, but also provides just and proper consequences for a crime that clearly rises to the level of a felony,”saidHelen Andujar Albarati, wife of fallen Lietenant Osvaldo Albarati.
"Congress must act now and pass theLieutenant Osvaldo Albarati Stopping Prison Contraband Actbefore another staff member is killed in the line of duty because of contraband cellphones. The safety of our corrections officers and the security of our prisons depend on it,"said Jon Zumkehr, President of the American Federation of Government Employees 4070.
“A cell phone in a prison is a deadly weapon. Lieutenant Albarati was a true hero, selflessly dedicated to making MDC Guaynabo and his community safer by preventing criminal activity inside the facility. I commend Senators Grassley and Ossoff for honoring his memory by sponsoring this public safety reform and for recognizing the severity of this problem,”saidDepartment of Justice Inspector General Michael Horowitz said.
The legislation is cosponsored by Senate Judiciary Committee member Cory Booker (D-N.J.).
Download bill textHERE.
Background:
TheLieutenant Osvaldo Albarati Stopping Prison Contraband Actbuilds on the 2010 Grassley-FeinsteinCell Phone Contraband Act, which originally designated cellphones as contraband in federal prison.
Lieutenant Osvaldo Albarati was a Bureau of Prisons (BOP) correctional officer who wasmurdered12 years ago today, on February 26, 2013, after completing his shift at the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico.Five men who later pleaded guilty to the crimeadmitted they targeted Albarati in retaliation for seizing their contraband, including cellphones. The inmate who placed the hit on Albarati did so using a contraband cellphone.
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