ATLANTA — The U.S. Senate passed a bipartisan bill to improve prison safety and security co-sponsored by Georgia senator Jon Ossoff and Tennessee senator Marsha Blackburn.

Officials say the Prison Staff Safety Enhancement Act was created to make efforts to reduce the sexual assaults and abuse in federal prisons.

“I remain focused on oversight of the Federal prison system and ending sexual abuse in prisons and jails, including the abuse of prison staff. Senator Blackburn and I brought Republicans and Democrats together to pass this bipartisan bill to help end sexual abuse in Federal prisons,” said Sen. Ossoff.

According to a February 2023 report by the DOJ Office of the Inspector General, “40% of more than 7,000 surveyed BOP staff stated they had been sexually harassed by an inmate,” officials add.

The measure would require the Department of Justice to develop and implement a strategy to reduce the number of on staff sexual assault and sexual abuse in federal prison facilities.

The bill is now heading to the U.S. House of Representatives.

To read the Prison Staff Safety Enhancement Act, click here.