Department of Justice (DOJ) Inspector General Michael E. Horowitz announced today the release of a Procedural Reform Recommendation (PRR) for the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP). The DOJ Office of the Inspector General (OIG) releases PRRs when, through its investigative work, it identifies a systematic weakness in Justice Department operations, programs, policies, procedures, or practices, and has a recommendation to address the identified problem.
The OIG issued this PRR after recent investigation in which it found reprisal against the former employee of a contractor. The OIG determined that the BOP and its contractor failed to comply with legal requirements to inform contractor employees “in writing of the rights and remedies provided under” 41 U.S.C. § 4712 (§ 4712), which provides whistleblower protections to employees of federal contractors and grantees. Accordingly, the OIG recommends that the BOP take steps to ensure that its contractors and any grantees are aware of the whistleblower protections that federal law provides, and that those contractors and any grantees take appropriate actions to notify their employees about whistleblower protections and to conform their internal policies to federal law.
The PRR released today is available under “Recent Reports” on the OIG’s website and at the following link: https://oig.justice.gov/reports/2020/i20023.pdf.
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