President Trump’s desire to reopen long-shuttered Alcatraz prison and cut bonuses for correctional staff became targets Tuesday for Democrats who, like their Republican colleagues, agreed the Bureau of Prisons suffers from crumbling facilities, overworked guards and sinking morale.
Democrats on the House Judiciary oversight subcommittee said the White House is doing little to invest in the prison system that houses more than 156,000 inmates across the nation, and may take on a larger role as Mr. Trump preaches a tough-on-crime message during his second term.
“Does cutting pay typically assist in recruiting a workforce? Sounds like a low IQ implementation to me,” said Rep. Jasmine Crockett, who was referring to the Trump administration’s decision to eliminate retention bonuses at the BOP as part of a cost-cutting measure.
“I just want to be clear that the American people should know that these are all Trump 2.0 policies,” the Texas Democrat said. “When we say that he’s failed, let me tell you we got receipts.”
Rep. Hank Johnson, Georgia Democrat, criticized Mr. Trump’s interest in renovating the former Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary. Now a popular tourist site in San Francisco Bay, the island prison was shut down in 1963 because of the high cost it took to supply the facility.
Mr. Johnson said the federal dollars prospectively being set aside for Alcatraz should instead go toward improving existing facilities.
“The place doesn’t need to be reopened, but it’s a vanity project for the president,” Mr. Johnson said.
Democrats repeatedly mentioned how Republicans went ahead with the hearing, even though BOP Director William K. Marshall III was not available to attend.
Republicans shot back by saying the bureau, under the Biden administration, burdened correctional officers by allowing droves of illegal immigrants into the country who later wound up in federal custody.
GOP members also swatted former President Biden for dedicating funds to transgender inmates despite facing similar morale and staffing challenges that have contributed to 6,000 vacancies at the BOP.
Rep. Bob Onder, Missouri Republican, said Mr. Biden helped inmates gain access to hormone therapy, gender transition surgeries and other medical treatments related to their gender identity.
“So at a time we had a $36 trillion debt and a deficit over $1.5 trillion a year, the Biden-Harris administration is paying for sex change operations in federal prisons,” he said.
The jousting over funding cooled when lawmakers discussed the First Step Act, a law passed during Mr. Trump’s first term that seeks to shrink the federal prison population and cut down on recidivism by investing in enrichment programs.
The Council on Criminal Justice, an independent think tank, published a study that said prisoners who were released after going through First Step Act’s programming saw 55% lower recidivism rates.
But Cody Wilde, the senior vice president of correctional programs at the Prison Fellowship, said the BOP has used an overly rigorous process to assess external providers who could help rehabilitate federal inmates.
“The current vetting process for external programs exceeds what the law requires,” Mr. Wilde testified. “The incoming BOP director has an opportunity to remove unnecessary barriers and realize the full intent of the First Step Act by welcoming qualified partners who can expand in-prison programming.”
