Department of Justice (DOJ) Inspector General Michael E. Horowitz announced today the release of a report on the Federal Bureau of Prisons’ (BOP) Inmate Financial Responsibility Program (IFRP). Since 1987, the BOP has administered the IFRP to encourage inmates to pay court ordered financial obligations. As of November 2023, 35 percent of BOP’s total inmate population had outstanding balances ranging from as little as one cent to as much as $2.4 billion.
The federal regulations that currently govern the IFRP makes participation in the program voluntary and creates some ambiguity regarding the use of certain inmate funds. The DOJ Office of the Inspector General (OIG) concluded that the BOP has been limited in its ability to mandate payments from inmates commensurate with available inmate resources. With support from DOJ leadership, the BOP has proposed changes to the existing rules to make fund collection more enforceable. We believe that making necessary changes to the existing regulations could help bring more clarity to the BOP’s efforts to implement the program. In addition, we found that BOP’s current process for documenting the rationale for IFRP payment plans could be improved.
The OIG recognizes the complexity of the rule-making process and BOP’s effort to advance counsel. We made two recommendations that we believe will assist in its efforts to effectively administer the IFRP. The BOP agreed with the recommendations.