Arnold Ventures Commends the United States Senate for Unanimously Passing the Federal Prison Oversight Act

WASHINGTON D.C. (Jul. 10, 2024) – Today, the U.S. Senate unanimously approved the Federal Prison Oversight Act (H.R. 3019), which establishes an inspections process for the Bureau of Prisons and creates an ombudsman to conduct targeted investigations. Kevin Ring, vice president of criminal justice advocacy at Arnold Ventures, issued this statement: 

“Congress demonstrated today that it can take on big problems in a bipartisan way. By working across party lines, Senators followed the lead of correctional officers and the families of incarcerated people, who came together to lobby for this bill. These groups know better than anyone what’s at stake.

“Our nation’s prisons are in crisis, due largely to understaffing and unnecessary incarceration. Our federal prisons are falling apart, and the people who work and live in them are not safe. We hope the legislation approved today is appropriately funded and that enhanced transparency and accountability will lead to greater safety inside our prisons – and, ultimately, in our communities.” 

For more information on the Safer Prisons, Safer Communities campaign, see our statement here.

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Arnold Ventures is a philanthropy that supports research to understand the root causes of America’s most persistent and pressing problems, as well as evidence-based solutions to address them. By focusing on systemic change, AV is working to improve the lives of American families, strengthen their communities, and promote their economic opportunity. Since Laura and John Arnold launched their foundation in 2008, the philanthropy has expanded, and Arnold Ventures’ focus areas include education, criminal justice, health, infrastructure, and public finance, advocating for bipartisan policy reforms that will lead to lasting, scalable change. As signatories of the Giving Pledge, the Arnolds have committed to giving away most of their wealth during their lives.

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