Dawn Zimmer: “Mr. Chairman, prison perks are bad public policy, and they are an abuse of taxpayer money. My amendment is aimed at…”

“Mr. Chairman, prison perks are bad public policy, and they are an abuse of taxpayer money. My amendment is aimed at eliminating them from Federal prisons. In some prisons, inmate amenities are better than what law-abiding Americans on the outside get, and all this is at taxpayer expense. At the Lompoc, CA, Federal penitentiary, they offer all-channel cable TV, movies 7 days a week, pool tables, handball, tennis, and miniature golf. The Duluth, MN, Federal prison is called Club Fed. It provides a movie theater, musical instruments, softball field, gamerooms. The Manchester, KY, Federal prison, in which some former State legislators reside, has a jogging track, several basketball courts, and multiple TV rooms. Mr. Chairman, prisons should be places of detention and punishment, not vacation spas. Prison perks undermine the concept of jail as deterrence, and they also waste taxpayer money. My amendment would end the taxpayer abuse by requiring the Attorney General to set specific standards governing Federal prisoners that do not exceed what is necessary for prison order, discipline, and constitutional requirements. The amendment also requires the Bureau of Prisons to submit an annual audit to Congress listing exactly how much is spent at each Federal prison for basics and how much is spent for extra perks and amenities.”