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Federal Prison System Established
Congress passes the "Three Prisons Act," which established the Federal Prison System (FPS).The Three Prisons Act is the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, mandates life imprisonment for individuals, may be ordered because the crime is serious and violent, they have been convicted of a final sentence at least twice, or because one of these convictions must have been for a felony and violent crime. -
Bureau of Prisons Established
Congress established the Bureau of Prisons within the Department of Justice. Its mission is based on protecting society by confining offenders in controlled environments of prisons and community facilities that are safe, humane, cost efficient and have adequate protection, and that provide work and other opportunities for self-improvement to help offenders. criminals to become law-abiding citizens. -
Bureau opened USP Lewisburg
Initially called the Northeast Penitentiary, USP Lewisburg was one of four federal prisons that opened in 1932, it was designed by Alfred Hopkins. This incorporated many new correctional concepts, such as housing of different security levels in the same institution. -
The Sentencing Reform Act
In 1984, Congress passed the Sentencing Reform Act in an effort to create uniform sentencing guidelines, which enabled a specialized group of experts called the Sentencing Commission. Before the commission, individual federal judges used their own discretion in sentencing offenders. The commission was tasked with creating, reviewing, and revising the policy used to determine punishments for federal violators. Any changes must be reported to Congress. -
Inmate Growth Remained High
The population more than doubled again, reaching 136,000 at the end of 1999, as efforts to deal with illegal drugs and illegal immigration contributed to rising conviction rates.
By 1990, the BOPï's total inmate population had reached 65,347 and grew to 66 institutions.