New Prison Contraband Act Adds Up to 2 Years for Smuggling Phones, Mandates Full BOP Policy Overhaul

This legislation, officially titled the Lieutenant Osvaldo Albarati Stopping Prison Contraband Act, focuses on tightening up security and penalties within federal correctional facilities. It’s a two-part punch: one part increases the criminal penalty for sneaking in specific contraband, and the other mandates a comprehensive review of the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) security policies.

The New Penalty: Two Years for a Phone

If you’re caught violating the law regarding providing certain prohibited items to a federal inmate—think unauthorized cell phones or other communication devices—the penalty just got more specific and potentially harsher. The bill creates a new, dedicated penalty of up to two years in prison, or both a fine and prison time, specifically for violations involving objects listed under subsection (d)(1)(F) of Title 18, U.S. Code, Section 1791. Essentially, the law is saying, “If you try to smuggle a phone in, we’re putting a specific, significant penalty on it.” This change (SEC. 2) also cleans up the existing penalty structure by making minor renumbering adjustments, making it clearer which penalty applies to which specific phone-related violation.

Policy Overhaul: The BOP’s Mandate

The second major piece (SEC. 3) is administrative but potentially far-reaching. It requires the Director of the Bureau of Prisons to conduct a full review of all policies related to inmates trying to make, possess, or obtain any “prohibited object.” This covers everything from drugs and weapons to those unauthorized communication devices. The Director has one year from the law’s signing to complete this review and update the policies as needed. The goal? To better protect both the people who are incarcerated and the BOP staff working there.

What This Means in the Real World

For the average person, this bill doesn’t change much about your daily commute or your taxes, but it’s a significant move for anyone involved in federal corrections. If you’re a family member or friend of an incarcerated person, heed the warning: the stakes for violating contraband rules are explicitly higher now, with a dedicated two-year maximum sentence on the books for smuggling specific items. This is a clear deterrent aimed at those who try to bypass security protocols.

On the policy side, the mandated review is where the real systemic change could happen. BOP staff, who often face safety risks from contraband, stand to benefit if the new policies are effective at tightening security. However, the effectiveness of this policy update rests entirely on the BOP Director’s discretion. The bill gives the Director the authority to define what updates are necessary to “better protect” staff and inmates. While the intent is positive—improving institutional safety—the actual rules and procedures that result from this review are still to be determined. We’ll have to wait and see if the new policies are practical and effective, or if they just add layers of bureaucracy without solving the underlying safety issues.