Photo courtesy: State Senator Gene Yaw Twitter
LEWISBURG – An important step was taken Friday by U.S. Congressman Fred Keller (R-12th, Kreamer, Pa.) in the fight for accountability regarding the Federal Bureau of Prisons and the Lewisburg Penitentiary.
During a news conference Keller announced the creation of a bipartisan Bureau of Prisons (BOP) Reform Caucus, “We’re here today to make sure they (staff) can work in a safe and productive manner, and ensure the Federal Bureau of Prisons leadership in Washington, D.C. puts their health and safety first. We know that BOP’s actions are influencing how are schools are reopening and how our community responds to this virus.”
Keller said he, local and state lawmakers, and health officials were very frustrated with how the federal government handled the pandemic by transferring inmates from virus hot spots to Lewisburg. The Lewisburg pen is currently experiencing a separate COVID-19 outbreak.
Union County Commissioner Chairman Preston Boop, “The frustration for us in Union County did not seem to matter. The Federal BOP was ignoring every possible thing to keep our people, our staff, our county residents that work within the prison system safe.”
Boop also continued expressing criticism against Governor Tom Wolf and Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine for ‘targeting’ Union County schools because of the pen’s outbreak.
State Senator Gene Yaw (R-23rd, Williamsport) says the BOP’s lack of transparency has become a big problem, “Nobody wants to know what everybody’s doing, what the decisions are, how they’re being made, who has input into them, and what considerations, especially public considerations, are being given.”
Keller is also using this caucus to protect the health and safety of both Allenwood federal facilities and USP Canaan, directly outside the 12th district.
