Families of people who die in private detention would gain new power to sue centers for wrongful death.
This bill would let families sue private detention centers and their employees if someone dies wrongfully while being held there. It would remove special legal protections that currently shield employees from being held responsible. The bill also makes the centers themselves directly responsible for such deaths, aiming to increase accountability.
Today, employees of private detention centers might use immunity to avoid responsibility for wrongful deaths, and there isn't a specific federal law allowing families to sue these centers for such harm. After this bill, families would have a federal way to sue, employees would lose immunity, and the centers themselves would be directly responsible, facing potential damages of at least $5,000,000.
HR 9883 · 119th Congress · July 22, 2026 · AI Summary by gemini-2.5-flash · 9/10
Sign in to see your representatives' phone numbers