Advocacy and Faith Organizations Urge New Director to Reform Federal Bureau of Prisons
In a newly released letter, national justice and faith organizations urged the newly appointed Bureau of Prisons director to implement comprehensive reforms.
Related to: Federal Advocacy, Sentencing Reform
[Washington, D.C.] – In a newly released letter, national justice and faith organizations including The Sentencing Project, the American Civil Liberties Union, the Brennan Center for Justice, Drug Policy Alliance, National Council of Churches, NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice, and Southern Poverty Law Center urge the newly appointed Bureau of Prisons director William “Billy” Marshall III to implement comprehensive reforms.
The letter outlines the grossly inhumane conditions in federal correctional facilities, including pervasive abuse, chronic understaffing, crumbling infrastructure, chronic lockdowns, insufficient medical care and inadequate rehabilitative programming. The groups urge Director Marshall to improve conditions, focus cost-cutting efforts on reducing incarceration, fully implement the First Step Act, and improve transparency and accountability.
“We ask you to remember the humanity of the people in your custody and listen to their voices by visiting at least six prisons, at every security level, in your first six months, and meeting individually with incarcerated people. We encourage you to lead the Bureau towards systemic transformation by meeting with groups of stakeholders, including formerly incarcerated people, their families, and advocacy groups within your first 90 days in office,” the signatories wrote. “Finally, we urge you to prioritize expanding compassionate release for elderly and vulnerable people behind bars.”
The letter was entered into the record by Rep. Lucy McBath during a House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Federal Government Surveillance and the Subcommittee on Oversight joint hearing titled “Federal Corrections in Focus: Oversight of the Bureau of Prisons” on Tuesday, May 6, 2025. During the hearing, the subcommittees heard testimony from progressive and conservative organizations urging the director to address the staffing and infrastructure crisis, as well as expand the use of home confinement.
