S-307 — Prison Staff Safety Enhancement Act

This bill became law on 2026-09-16 as Public Law No. 119-110.

The summary below describes the bill at the version we last reviewed; the enacted text may differ.

YourVoice.Now Summary

Workers & JobsCriminal Justice & Due ProcessTransparency & Accountability

The law now orders national rules on inmate sexual assault of prison staff — with a watchdog count first.

Workers & Jobs

Safety rules for federal prison workers — national standards required

The Attorney General must set national standards for preventing and cutting down sexual assault and harassment of prison staff by inmates. No such national rules exist today.

Criminal Justice & Due Process

Punishments for inmates who assault staff — national standards set

The same national standards cover how inmates are punished for these acts. The watchdog first studies the punishments prisons hand out now, using five years of records.

Transparency & Accountability

Watchdog review of assaults on prison staff — four years of data

The Justice Department watchdog collects incident numbers from fiscal years 2022 through 2025 and reports to Congress and the Attorney General on whether the Bureau is doing enough. That clock starts only once the Bureau has carried out every 2023 recommendation.

Explanation owed to Congress if the deadline slips — 90 days

The Bureau had not carried out the watchdog's 2023 recommendations when this became law. If it still has not by December 15, 2026, it owes Congress an explanation and a schedule.

More about this bill

If you work in a federal prison, the Attorney General must write national rules on sexual assault and harassment of staff by inmates. That change became law on September 16, 2026, as Public Law 119-110. A 2023 Justice Department watchdog report found this abuse is common and poorly tracked. The Bureau of Prisons has until December 15, 2026 to carry out that report's fixes. If it misses the deadline, it must tell Congress why and give a timeline. One year after the Bureau finishes, the watchdog pulls case data from 2022 through 2025. That study also covers how prisons punish these acts today. The rules follow within a year of the study. Each clock starts only when the step before it ends.

Congressional Summary

Prison Staff Safety Enhancement Act This act establishes requirements for the Department of Justice (DOJ) and component agencies to assess and respond to incidents of sexual harassment and sexual assault by incarcerated individuals against Bureau of Prisons (BOP) staff. Specifically, the act requires DOJ to adopt national standards for the prevention, reduction, and punishment of sexual harassment and sexual assault by incarcerated individuals against correctional officers or other employees of the BOP. Additionally, the act requires the BOP to fully implement the recommendations of the DOJ Inspector General contained in the report titled Evaluation of the Federal Bureau of Prisons’ Efforts to Address Sexual Harassment and Sexual Assault Committed by Inmates Toward Staff.

Legislative Subjects

Administrative law and regulatory proceduresAssault and harassment offensesCongressional oversightCorrectional facilities and imprisonmentData collection, sharing, protectionDepartment of JusticeGovernment employee pay, benefits, personnel managementGovernment studies and investigationsSex offenses

Details

Congress: 119th
Chamber: Senate
Status: summarized
Action: Public Law
Action Date: 2026-09-16
Date Added: 2026-08-26
Source: Congress.gov →

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