Federal Prisons: Revised Design Standards Could Save Expansion Funds
GGD-91-54
Published: Mar 14, 1991. Publicly Released: Apr 25, 1991.
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Highlights
Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO determined whether the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) was using reasonable and cost-effective measures of prison system inmate capacity in determining the extent of prison crowding and the need for additional facilities.
Recommendations
Matter for Congressional Consideration
| Matter | Status | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Congress should consider making funding of the BOP FY 1992 budget request for new facility construction contingent on BOP completing and justifying its transition to standards that include double-bunking wherever feasible. |
Closed – Implemented
|
BOP has taken action to reassess its rated capacity based on double-bunking and reflected capacity changes in its 1993 budget request. An accomplishment report is being drafted. |
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Department of Justice | The Attorney General should require the Director, BOP, to reassess current and proposed BOP design standards to ensure that its expansion plans and budget requests are premised on the use of standards that provide for double-bunking where feasible and limit single-bunking to those locations where double-bunking is clearly not feasible. |
Closed – Implemented
BOP is revising its design standard to double-bunk all cells and rooms in low and minimum facilities and increase double-bunking in high security facilities from 0 to 25 percent of the cells and rooms. All policy and design standards have been incorporated into the FY 1994 budget.
|
| Department of Justice | The Attorney General should require the Director, BOP, to use the revised standards to determine the rated capacity of the federal prison system and justify the need for new facilities. |
Closed – Implemented
BOP is using the new policy to set capacity and this capacity will be used in developing future expansion plans. The $100 million monetary benefit is based on BOP implementation of the new policy.
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Topics
Correctional facilitiesCorrectional personnelCost effectiveness analysisGovernment facility constructionPlanningPrisonersStandards evaluationState programsFederal prisonsBudget requests