Six Federal Prison Facilities to Close as BOP Cites Staffing, Maintenance Concerns
The Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) is closing six facilities nationwide citing “extreme staffing challenges” and decaying infrastructure.
About 500 employees will be affected: some will be subject to reductions in force while others will be offered positions at nearby facilities.
The facilities slated for permanent closure are the following:
· Beaumont FCI Low (Texas)
· Big Spring FCI and Satellite Camp (Texas)
· La Tuna FCI, FSL (Federal Satellite Low), and Satellite Camp (Texas)
· Lexington FMC Satellite Camp (Kentucky)
· Petersburg FCI Low (Virginia)
· Taft FCI (California)
Employees at Big Spring and La Tuna are subject to the layoffs. Employees at Beaumont, Lexington, Petersburg, and Taft will be able to transfer to other BOP facilities either on-site or nearby.
“These actions are necessary to address longstanding infrastructure and staffing challenges while ensuring the Bureau remains focused on its core mission of operating safe, secure, and efficient correctional facilities,” said BOP Director William K. Marshall III in a news release.
BOP also said it’s dealing with a deferred maintenance backlog of $4 billion across its facilities.
AFGE Urges Congress to Act
The prison closures are not sitting well with the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE). AFGE is urging Congress to act, saying the closures will exacerbate a staffing shortage.
In a letter to Congress asking it to exercise its authority and prevent the closures, AFGE National President Everett Kelley noted that Congress appropriated $3 billion for staffing and $2 billion for infrastructure to BOP through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
“Those investments should be used to strengthen the federal prison system, not dismantle it,” wrote Kelley, who also called for BOP to be transparent in how the closure decisions were reached.
BOP, however, says that the additional funding is not enough to close the $4 billion backlog.
Staffing Crunch
The maintenance backlog comes as BOP deals with longstanding staffing issues. According to AFGE, 1,400 employees left the agency last year with many heading to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
For its part, BOP is offering retention bonuses to certain agency employees to help with the staff shortage. However, union leaders say more action is needed, such as passing legislation introduced by Congressional Democrats to boost pay for BOP staff by 35 percent.
