Goodlatte Applauds House Passage of Bill to Strengthen Prison Security

Washington, D.C.  – The House of Representatives today approved by voice vote the Eric Williams Correctional Officer Protection Act of 2015 (S. 238). This legislation, named after a Bureau of Prisons (BOP) officer who was killed by an inmate while on duty on February 25, 2013, allows trained BOP officers to use pepper spray to reduce acts of violence committed by prisoners. The Corrections and Recidivism Reduction Act of 2016 (H.R. 759), recently approved by the House Judiciary Committee, also contains this legislation in addition to several other provisions to reform the federal prison system. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) praised House passage of S. 238 in the statement below. Chairman Goodlatte: “Day in and day out, federal prison officers protect public safety, keep federal prisons secure, and help inmates successfully reenter our communities upon completing their sentences. Sadly, some officers have been killed while on duty by violent prisoners. I am pleased that the House today passed commonsense legislation that honors the memory of Officer Eric Williams by allowing federal prison officers to use pepper spray on inmates who commit acts of violence while in prison. This legislation is also included in a larger prison reform bill, the Corrections and Recidivism Reduction Act, which was recently approved by the House Judiciary Committee. The Committee will continue to work on its bipartisan criminal justice initiative in order to improve our nation’s criminal laws and justice system.”

Watch Chairman Goodlatte’s floor statement here. 

Learn more about the House Judiciary Committee’s criminal justice reform initiative here.