Senators push Garland to reform prisons after AP reporting

WASHINGTON — The leaders of the Senate Judiciary Committee are demanding Attorney General Merrick Garland take immediate action to reform the beleaguered federal Bureau of Prisons in response to Associated Press investigations that exposed widespread problems there, serious misconduct involving correctional officers and rampant sexual abuse at a California women’s prison.

The committee’s chairman, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill.; the panel’s top Republican, Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa; and California Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Alex Padilla sent a letter to Garland and Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco on Wednesday. They want the Justice Department to turn over a slew of information about employee misconduct and procedures in place to stem sexual abuse.

The letter is the latest illustration of increasing scrutiny of the scandal-plagued bureau following the AP’s reporting. Last week, the Senate launched a bipartisan working group to focus on the federal prison system, and lawmakers have been introducing legislation to increase oversight of the nation’s 122 federal prisons.