RESTRICTIVE HOUSING: Actions Needed to Enhance BOP and ICE Management and Oversight.

This document is a testimony presented before the Committee on the Judiciary, U.S. Senate, discussing the use of restrictive housing in federal correctional and immigration detention facilities. The document highlights that both the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have policies and processes governing the use of restrictive housing. However, previous studies have identified areas for improvement in BOP's oversight of restrictive housing, and BOP has not fully implemented recommendations from these studies. Additionally, BOP and ICE have not consistently collected or used information needed for oversight of restrictive housing. The document emphasizes the potential detrimental health impacts of time spent in isolation and the need for improved management and oversight of restrictive housing. The text discusses the findings and recommendations from a report on the use of restrictive housing in the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The report highlights that BOP has not fully implemented recommendations to reduce the use of restrictive housing for individuals in protective custody or with serious mental illness. It also identifies deficiencies in BOP's program review process and racial disparities in the special management unit. The report recommends that BOP and ICE improve their processes for monitoring and overseeing restrictive housing operations. BOP has concurred with the recommendations and plans to implement them. The text discusses the findings of a review conducted by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) on the use of restrictive housing in detention facilities by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and [Extracted from the article]