BOP SCAN Mail Act

Mail scanning and drug detection in prisons

If enacted, the bill would require the Bureau of Prisons to study and then roll out mail scanning and drug detection at federal prisons. The Director would have 180 days to evaluate available detection equipment and mail scanning services, and 90 days after that to send a full strategy to the House and Senate Judiciary Committees. The strategy would require a digital copy of each inmate’s mail within 24 hours after the facility or offsite contractor gets it. If the mail is addressed to the inmate and contains no synthetic drugs or opioids, the original would be delivered within 30 days and delivery must be documented. The plan must aim for 100% scanning capacity, identify needed IT and equipment, include a budget proposal for fiscal years 2025–2027, and describe contractor oversight. Implementation would finish no later than 3 years after the strategy is sent, subject to Congress approving funds. Beginning one year after the strategy is sent, the Bureau would report each year to the Judiciary Committees on how well the plan works and how much synthetic drug and opioid material was found. The bill also defines key terms, including the Director, opioid (by reference to the Controlled Substances Act), and synthetic drug (including fentanyl analogues).