{ "id": "R42486", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "number": "R42486", "active": true, "source": "EveryCRSReport.com, University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "versions": [ { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 578159, "date": "2018-01-29", "retrieved": "2018-05-10T11:37:50.132590", "title": "Appropriations for the Bureau of Prisons (BOP): In Brief", "summary": "The Bureau of Prisons (BOP) is the largest correctional agency in the country in terms of the number of prisoners under its jurisdiction. BOP must confine any offender convicted and sentenced to a term of imprisonment in a federal court.\nChanges in federal criminal justice policy since the early 1980s spurred growth in the federal prison population. The total number of inmates under BOP\u2019s jurisdiction increased from approximately 25,000 in FY1980 to over 192,000 in FY2016. While the federal prison population in FY2016 is nearly 7 times larger than what it was in FY1980, the number of inmates under the BOP\u2019s jurisdiction peaked in FY2013 at approximately 219,000 inmates. The federal prison population has decreased each fiscal year from FY2013 to FY2016.\nBOP\u2019s appropriations increased by nearly $7.149 billion from FY1980 to FY2016, which was the peak of BOP\u2019s nominal appropriations. Between FY1980 and FY2016, the average annual increase in BOP\u2019s appropriations was approximately $199 million. Its appropriations decreased by $340 million in FY2017. \nBOP\u2019s annual budget is divided between two major accounts: Salaries and Expenses (S&E, i.e., the operating budget) and Buildings and Facilities (B&F, i.e., the capital budget).The nearly continuous increase in BOP\u2019s appropriations is in large part driven by a nearly unbroken year-by-year increases in the S&E account. Funding for the S&E account has continued to increase even though the prison population decreased from FY2013 to FY2016. An increasing per capita cost of incarceration might explain why funding for the S&E account has not decreased along with the prison population, but it might also be due to the fact that the prison population has not decreased to a point where BOP can reduce staff and shutter prisons.\nThe nominal per capita cost of incarcerating an inmate in the federal system has increased every fiscal year from FY2000 to FY2016, from approximately $22,000 per inmate to nearly $35,000 per inmate. After adjusting for inflation, the overall cost of incarceration was relatively flat from FY2000 to FY2012, but in recent fiscal years increases in per capita costs have started to outstrip inflation.\nA comparison of requested and enacted funding for BOP\u2019s S&E and B&F accounts shows that Congress has been somewhat more likely to fund the Administration\u2019s request for prison construction and less likely to fully fund the Administration\u2019s request for operating the federal prison system. From FY1980 to FY2017, appropriations were lower than the Administration\u2019s request for the B&F account 16 times while appropriations were lower than the request for the S&E account 24 times. \nOne concern among some policymakers is that BOP\u2019s expanding budget is starting to consume a larger share of the Department of Justice\u2019s (DOJ\u2019s) overall annual appropriations. A review of funding for DOJ and BOP show that since FY1980 both BOP\u2019s total budget and the S&E account have, in general, encompassed a growing share of DOJ\u2019s annual appropriations.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/R42486", "sha1": "b74babe75fe33f45d1db5c89a5426879791fd0aa", "filename": "files/20180129_R42486_b74babe75fe33f45d1db5c89a5426879791fd0aa.html", "images": { "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R42486_files&id=/3.png": "files/20180129_R42486_images_d907e147fee71795ff8e8f728edb9b828bc9f8fe.png", "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R42486_files&id=/4.png": "files/20180129_R42486_images_b6f76ea7cffbbd668fb6860dfc6fc8d0f25c5d57.png", "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R42486_files&id=/1.png": "files/20180129_R42486_images_6badf5e51a93a1ea0be4e56229ba885ea0042d95.png", "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R42486_files&id=/2.png": "files/20180129_R42486_images_f7975ac1e653b3107bd121045fb7ca536e61f19e.png", "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R42486_files&id=/0.png": "files/20180129_R42486_images_597ba54843fab07506710ec872e79472e844b8ca.png" } }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R42486", "sha1": "ff5241bf6ab3433f3b4686617b2c351a18259279", "filename": "files/20180129_R42486_ff5241bf6ab3433f3b4686617b2c351a18259279.pdf", "images": {} } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4744, "name": "Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations" }, { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4887, "name": "Corrections" } ] }, { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 452682, "date": "2016-05-19", "retrieved": "2016-10-17T19:59:21.075919", "title": "Appropriations for the Bureau of Prisons (BOP): In Brief", "summary": "The Bureau of Prisons (BOP) is the largest correctional agency in the country in terms of the number of prisoners under its jurisdiction. BOP must confine any offender convicted and sentenced to a term of imprisonment in a federal court.\nChanges in federal criminal justice policy since the early 1980s spurred growth in the federal prison population. The total number of inmates under BOP\u2019s jurisdiction increased from approximately 25,000 in FY1980 to over 205,000 in FY2015. The sustained growth in the federal prison population has necessitated an increase in appropriations for BOP\u2019s operations and infrastructure.\nBOP\u2019s appropriations increased by nearly $7.149 billion from FY1980 ($330 million) to FY2016 ($7.479 billion). Between FY1980 and FY2016, the average annual increase in BOP\u2019s appropriations was approximately $199 million. The nearly continuous increase in BOP\u2019s appropriations is in large part driven by an unbroken year-by-year increase in BOP\u2019s Salaries and Expenses (S&E) account. A significant share of BOP\u2019s S&E funding has been dedicated to providing for the care and security of inmates housed in BOP facilities, though an increasing share of S&E funding has been dedicated to contracting for additional bedspace in private prisons and Residential Reentry Centers (i.e., halfway houses).\nA comparison of requested and enacted funding for BOP\u2019s S&E and Buildings and Facilities (B&F) accounts shows that Congress has been somewhat more likely to fund the Administration\u2019s request for prison construction and less likely to fully fund the Administration\u2019s request for the upkeep and care of the prison population. In the 37 fiscal years between FY1980 and FY2016, appropriations were lower than the Administration\u2019s request for the B&F account 16 times. Appropriations were lower than the request for the S&E account 23 times. \nThe overall nominal per capita cost of incarcerating an inmate in the federal system has steadily increased from FY2000 to FY2015, from approximately $22,000 per inmate to nearly $32,000 per inmate. However, after adjusting for inflation, the overall cost of incarceration has been relatively flat since FY2000. This suggests that increases in BOP\u2019s appropriations are, in part, attributable to the growing number of inmates BOP has to incarcerate rather than increasing costs per inmate.\nOne concern among some policymakers is that BOP\u2019s expanding budget is starting to consume a larger share of the Department of Justice\u2019s (DOJ) overall annual appropriations. A review of funding for DOJ and BOP show that since FY1980 both BOP\u2019s total budget and the S&E account have, in general, encompassed a growing share of DOJ\u2019s annual appropriations.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/R42486", "sha1": "f57a27daa732f7ab76044f1cba454d47e8323647", "filename": "files/20160519_R42486_f57a27daa732f7ab76044f1cba454d47e8323647.html", "images": null }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R42486", "sha1": "2cec0be497a19a3c5e447f28c3bae5e2e7d89646", "filename": "files/20160519_R42486_2cec0be497a19a3c5e447f28c3bae5e2e7d89646.pdf", "images": null } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4744, "name": "Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations" }, { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4887, "name": "Corrections" } ] }, { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 428627, "date": "2014-03-04", "retrieved": "2016-04-06T20:37:13.739105", "title": "The Bureau of Prisons (BOP): Operations and Budget", "summary": "The Bureau of Prisons (BOP) was established in 1930 to house federal inmates, professionalize the prison service, and ensure consistent and centralized administration of the federal prison system. The BOP is the largest correctional agency in the country, in terms of the number of prisoners under its jurisdiction. The BOP must confine any offender convicted and sentenced to a term of imprisonment in a federal court. \nAll BOP correctional facilities are classified according to one of five different security levels: minimum, low, medium, high, or administrative. An inmate\u2019s designation to a particular institution is based primarily on the level of security and supervision the inmate requires; the level of security and staff supervision the institution is able to provide; and the inmate\u2019s program needs. All inmates undergo a comprehensive intake screening when they are admitted to a BOP facility. The BOP provides health care for all inmates either through each prison\u2019s ambulatory care clinics or by contracting for services through local hospitals. The BOP also provides mental health treatment to inmates who demonstrate a need for it through staff psychologists. The BOP has an established inmate disciplinary system, whereby sanctions are imposed on inmates for committing prohibited acts. An inmate is allowed to request a review of his or her conditions of confinement through the BOP\u2019s Administrative Remedy Program. Inmates have access to a variety of rehabilitational programs including education programs, substance abuse treatment, vocational education, and work opportunities. In order to help aid an inmate\u2019s transition back into the community, inmates can be placed in a Residential Reentry Center (i.e., a halfway house) for a period of time before their sentence expires.\nChanges in federal criminal justice policy since the early 1980s have resulted in a continued increase in the federal prison population. The number of inmates under the BOP\u2019s jurisdiction has increased nearly eight-fold (790%) from approximately 24,600 inmates in FY1980 to nearly 219,300 inmates in FY2013. Since FY1980, the federal prison population has increased, on average, by approximately 5,900 inmates each year.\nThe burgeoning federal prison population has led Congress to increase appropriations for the BOP\u2019s operations and infrastructure. In FY1980, Congress appropriated $330.0 million for the BOP. By FY2014, the total appropriation for the BOP reached $6.859 billion. The additional funding for the BOP was necessary to cover the costs of providing services to a growing prison population, expanding prison capacity, and hiring additional staff to manage the expanding federal prison system. \nThe annual growth in the federal prison population has outstripped the BOP\u2019s prison capacity, resulting in overcrowding in the federal prison system. Congress could choose to mitigate some of the issues related to federal prison population growth by appropriating more funding so the BOP could hire additional staff and expand prison capacity to alleviate overcrowding. On the other hand, Congress could also consider ways to reduce the number of inmates held in federal prison by considering alternatives to incarceration, such as increasing good time credit for inmates who participate in certain rehabilitative programs, placing more low-level offenders on community supervision in lieu of incarceration, or reducing mandatory minimum penalties for some offenses.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/R42486", "sha1": "c612801d94244203c61314feae4a25666a46219c", "filename": "files/20140304_R42486_c612801d94244203c61314feae4a25666a46219c.html", "images": null }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R42486", "sha1": "667da4ab301b699f4666178473f83d1995312069", "filename": "files/20140304_R42486_667da4ab301b699f4666178473f83d1995312069.pdf", "images": null } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 2350, "name": "Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies' Appropriations" }, { "source": "IBCList", "id": 2496, "name": "Crime and Punishment" } ] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc227755/", "id": "R42486_2013Jun03", "date": "2013-07-03", "retrieved": "2013-11-05T18:07:05", "title": "The Bureau of Prisons (BOP): Operations and Budget", "summary": "Report that provides an overview of how the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) manages the growing federal prison population and examines the BOP's appropriations since FY1980.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20130703_R42486_0bee48d5f389c145a428343ce22786048ca3fa78.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20130703_R42486_0bee48d5f389c145a428343ce22786048ca3fa78.html" } ], "topics": [ { "source": "LIV", "id": "Prison administration", "name": "Prison administration" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Rehabilitation of criminals", "name": "Rehabilitation of criminals" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Prisons", "name": "Prisons" } ] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc462837/", "id": "R42486_2013Jun03", "date": "2013-06-03", "retrieved": "2014-12-05T09:57:41", "title": "The Bureau of Prisons (BOP): Operations and Budget", "summary": "This report provides an overview of how the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) manages the growing federal prison population and examines the BOP's appropriations since FY1980.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20130603_R42486_d87a74419afc8c156b26506b2002932ac8162100.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20130603_R42486_d87a74419afc8c156b26506b2002932ac8162100.html" } ], "topics": [ { "source": "LIV", "id": "Prison administration", "name": "Prison administration" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Rehabilitation of criminals", "name": "Rehabilitation of criminals" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Prisons", "name": "Prisons" } ] } ], "topics": [ "Appropriations", "Crime Policy" ] }