Prisoner Rights Act
Latest action. Referred to House Committee on the Judiciary.
Prisoner Rights Act - Prohibits the inhumane treatment of any person held under authority of any enactment of Congress. Requires the immediate discharge of any officer or employee of the United States who knowingly and willfully engages in such treatment. Defines the term "inhumane treatment" as meaning: (1) striking, whipping, or otherwise imposing physical pain upon a prisoner as a measure of punishment; (2) any use of physical force by an employee except that which may be necessary for self-defense, to prevent or stop assault by one prisoner upon another person, and for prevention of riot or escape; (3) sexual or other assaults; (4) any punitive or restrictive measure taken in retaliation for the assertion of rights; (5) any measure intended to degrade such person, including insults and verbal abuse; and (6) any invidiously discriminatory treatment based upon race, religion, nationality, or political beliefs. Sets forth restrictions upon the use of solitary confinement in facilities covered by this Act. Directs the Attorney General to establish a grievance procedure to which all persons covered by this Act shall have access. Directs the Director of the Bureau of Prisons to establish rules permitting attorneys of record, relatives, and friends to visit and talk in private with any person covered by this Act. Authorizes civil actions against the authorities of any penal institution or facility who prevent visits permitted under this Act. Provides that any penal institution or facility may be visited at any time by any Member of Congress or Delegate or Resident Commissioner to Congress. (Adds 18 U.S.C. 4012, 4013)
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in House" stage on May 31, 1973. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
4 steps remain before this bill could become law.
The record's latest action, on May 31, 1973: Referred to House Committee on the Judiciary.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the House
- Passage by the Senate
- The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 93rd Congress (1973-74), 651 of the 23,396 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 2.8 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
HERMAN BADILLO (D-NY) introduced it on May 31, 1973, and 1 member has since signed on as a cosponsor.
They are 1 Democrat.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on May 31, 1973, 19460 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 19460 days ago, on May 31, 1973.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 93rd Congress has not finished by January 3, 1975 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- HouseIn committee, no floor vote yet
- SenateAwaits House passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers