Families described not being told their loved one was in the hospital or even when they had died.
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Foryears,familieshavecomplainedofcrueltyfromthefederalBureauofPrisons(BOP)whentheirincarceratedlovedonesbecomeseriouslyillordie.Now,legislationinCongressisattemptingtoputastoptowhatitcallsinhumanetreatment.
Sens.JonOssoff(D–Ga.)andJohnKennedy(R–La.)introducedlegislationWednesday—theFamilyNotificationofDeath,Injury,orIllnessinCustodyAct—thatwouldrequiretheJusticeDepartmenttoissueguidancetotheBOPforpromptlynotifyingfamiliesofindividualsincustodywhobecomeseriouslyill,sufferlife-threateninginjuries,ordie.TheJusticeDepartmentwouldalsodistributethosepoliciesasamodelforstateandlocallockupstofollow.
“Toooften,thefamiliesofthoseincarceratedneverfindoutaboutaseriousillness,alife-threateninginjury,oreventhedeathofalovedonebehindbars,”Ossoffsaidinapressrelease.
AcompanionbillhasbeenintroducedintheHouseofRepresentativesbyReps.SydneyKamlager-Dove(D–Calif.),JohnRutherford(R–Fla.),BarryMoore(
