Strategy to interdict synthetic drugs in postal mail

(a) Evaluation Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Director shall evaluate— (1) the acquisition and deployment of synthetic drug interdiction equipment and technology by Federal correctional facilities; (2) the use of technology services by Federal correctional facilities to scan mail; and (3) whether any technologies used by other Federal agencies or State and local corrections facilities to intercept and interdict contraband in the mail may be used by the Bureau of Prisons. (b) Strategy Not later than 90 days after completing the evaluation under subsection (a), the Director shall submit to the Committee on the Judiciary of the Senate and the Committee on the Judiciary of the House of Representatives a strategy to provide all Federal correctional facilities with capabilities necessary to— (1) protect staff and inmates from exposure to synthetic drugs and opioids introduced to facilities through the mail; (2) ensure that— (A) not later than 24 hours after a piece of mail is received at a Federal corrections facility or an appropriately contracted offsite location, each inmate receives a digital copy of any mail that is addressed to the inmate; (B) not later than 30 days after receiving a digital copy of a piece of mail under subparagraph (A), the inmate receives the original physical copy of any mail that— (i) does not contain synthetic drugs or opioids; and (ii) is addressed to the inmate; and (C) delivery to the inmate under subparagraphs (A) and (B) is documented; (3) ensure that a process is in place for the processing of legal mail that includes— (A) the verification of the sender; and (B) maintains attorney client privilege as required by existing law; and (4) achieve 100 percent scanning capacity of mail arriving at all Federal correction facilities. (c) Contents The strategy required under subsection (b) shall— (1) identify critical information technology, digital mail scanning equipment, and mail scanning services necessary to achieve the scanning capacity described in subsection (b)(4); (2) include an assessment of operational and logistical considerations, including— (A) prioritization of high security and large inmate population facilities for digital mail scanning infrastructure and security technology deployment; (B) any need for additional personnel and technology training necessary to implement the strategy; and (C) scanning equipment maintenance requirements and periodic digital technology upgrades; (3) include an equipment and technology budgetary proposal, for fiscal years 2025 though 2027, in order to fully implement the strategy described under subsection (b); and (4) include strategies for conducting oversight of the contractor providing the scanning service for the mail. (d) Implementation deadline Not later than 3 years after the date on which the strategy is submitted under subsection (b), and subject to appropriations, the Director of the Bureau of Prisons shall complete implementation of the submitted plan. (e) Annual progress reports Beginning 1 year after the date on which the strategy is submitted under subsection (b), and each year thereafter, the Director of the Bureau of Prisons shall submit to the Committee on the Judiciary of the Senate and the Committee on the Judiciary of the House of Representatives a report on the efficiency of the strategy and the total quantity of detected synthetic drugs and opioids.