The Prison Staffing Reform Act of 2025 directs the Bureau of Prisons to conduct a comprehensive review of understaffing at its 121 facilities and submit a detailed staffing plan to Congress within 180 days. The bill aims to address widespread shortages that threaten the safety and health of both the approximately 35,000 Bureau employees and incarcerated individuals, who face reduced access to medical care, mental health services, educational programs, and protection against abuse due to insufficient staff. An external organization—not the Bureau itself—will conduct the review in consultation with prison employee unions, civil rights groups, and recidivism reduction advocates, and must examine staffing impacts on medical care quality, security, overtime practices, and overall agency costs. The Bureau must then implement the resulting staffing plan within three years and submit annual progress reports to Congress and prison employee representatives. While the bill does not specify funding amounts, implementation is subject to congressional appropriations.
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