Following Annual Bureau of Prisons Oversight Hearing, Durbin Meets with Federal Corrections Union Leaders

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, met with union leaders from the National Council of Prison Locals (CPL), including Brandy White, who was elected CPL’s National President in August and is the first woman to hold this position.

The meeting follows today’s annual Bureau of Prisons (BOP) oversight hearing in the Senate Judiciary Committee. Among other topics, Durbin, White, and the group discussed the need to improve BOP staff pay and safety, address the severe backlog of maintenance issues at BOP facilities, and implement critical reforms at United States Penitentiary (USP) Thomson in Illinois.

“I was pleased to meet with the National Council of Prison Locals executive team on the same day as our annual Bureau of Prisons oversight hearing. It’s a chance to evaluate the progress that we’ve made to reform our federal prison system, as well as the work we still need to do,” said Durbin. “Our federal prison system must fulfill its fundamental purpose: to provide safe and humane conditions of confinement and ensure the successful return of incarcerated individuals to the community. I thank Ms. White and the Council for their engagement and partnership in these efforts.”

A photo of the meeting is available here.

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