Congressman Dennis Cardoza
18th Congressional District of California

MERCED, CA – Congressman Cardoza brought his concerns about the federal prison system and USP Atwater to the House Judiciary Committee today when he testified before the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security.

“Across the nation, staffing levels are decreasing while inmate populations are steadily on the rise, leaving correctional officers vulnerable,” Congressman Cardoza said during his testimony. He further added, “While I understand our correctional officers will always be subject to a certain level of risk, I strongly believe an increase in staffing levels will significantly reduce this threat.”

In June 2008, two inmates viciously attacked and killed Correctional Officer Jose Rivera at Atwater Penitentiary, located in Congressman Cardoza’s district. Officer Rivera was a four-year veteran of the Navy, and had completed two tours of military duty in Iraq. He had been with the Bureau of Prisons since August 2007.

During today’s hearing, Congressman Cardoza told the subcommittee that the incident had sparked outrage in the community of Atwater and shed light on the significant funding shortfalls plaguing the federal prison system.
 
“While it is not clear whether Officer Rivera would be alive today were the institution fully staffed, I think we can all agree that Congress has a responsibility to ensure a tragic event like this never takes place again in our nation’s prisons,” Congressman Cardoza told the subcommittee.

As he advocated for additional staffing and training, Congressman Cardoza noted that in the last two decades the inmate population of the federal prison system has increased by 250 percent while staffing has increased less than 125 percent. Congressman Cardoza specifically pointed out that USP Atwater is operating at only 86 percent of the necessary staffing levels, supervising an inmate population 25 percent larger than the prison’s capacity.

Congressman Cardoza also informed the subcommittee of his legislation that would examine issues related to providing non-lethal weapons to federal correctional staff. Earlier this year, Congressman Cardoza introduced a bill directing the Bureau of Prisons to conduct a pilot program to determine the effectiveness of issuing pepper spray to correctional staff. The bill also directs the Government Accountability Office to report to Congress on the pilot program and on tools to improve officer safety in federal prisons.

“Our correctional officers have a very difficult task of ensuring our safety and the safety of the institutions which house dangerous criminals in our communities,” Congressman Cardoza said. “We owe it to Officer Rivera, his family, and to every other officer on the job to provide the necessary funding immediately so our corrections officers have the right staffing and tools they need to perform their duty. It was an honor to speak before my colleagues on behalf of our corrections officers, their families and supporters today, and I look forward to working with my colleagues to address the many challenges we face.”