---
kind: "section"
citation: "18 U.S.C. § 4047"
title: "18"
title_heading: "Crimes and Criminal Procedure"
number: "4047"
heading: "Prison impact assessments"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/18/4047"
units:
  - "Part III — Prisons and Prisoners"
  - "Chapter 303 — Bureau of Prisons"
---

# §4047. Prison impact assessments

- (a) Any submission of legislation by the Judicial or Executive branch which could increase or decrease the number of persons incarcerated in Federal penal institutions shall be accompanied by a prison impact statement (as defined in [subsection (b)](#b)).
- (b) The Attorney General shall, in consultation with the Sentencing Commission and the Administrative Office of the United States Courts, prepare and furnish prison impact assessments under [subsection (c)](#c) of this section, and in response to requests from Congress for information relating to a pending measure or matter that might affect the number of defendants processed through the Federal criminal justice system. A prison impact assessment on pending legislation must be supplied within 21 days of any request. A prison impact assessment shall include—
  - (1) projections of the impact on prison, [probation](/usc/18/4101.md?p=g), and post prison supervision populations;
  - (2) an estimate of the fiscal impact of such population changes on Federal expenditures, including those for construction and operation of correctional facilities for the current fiscal year and 5 succeeding fiscal years;
  - (3) an analysis of any other significant factor affecting the cost of the measure and its impact on the operations of components of the criminal justice system; and
  - (4) a statement of the methodologies and assumptions utilized in preparing the assessment.
- (c) The Attorney General shall prepare and transmit to the Congress, by March 1 of each year, a prison impact assessment reflecting the cumulative effect of all relevant changes in the law taking effect during the preceding calendar year.

## Source credit

(Added Pub. L. 103–322, title II, § 20402(a), Sept. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 1824.)