Fixing the Federal Bureau of Prisons
High recidivism, rotten conditions, almost no rehabilitation. This site is the public case file on the U.S. Federal Bureau of Prisons.
Latest
Josh Smith Is Gone. His BOP Reforms Are Still Standing.
Deputy Director Josh Smith, the first formerly incarcerated person in BOP senior leadership, resigned August 25 with no stated reason. He swapped out 70% of executive staff, rewrote decades-old policy in 90 days, and left the agency arguing about itself in a way it hadn't in decades.
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The Albarati Act Won't Stop Contraband Phones. It Will Just Clog the Courts.
S. 736 doubles the maximum sentence for smuggling a cell phone into a federal prison and makes it a felony. Against 20,000 phones a year and about 81 prosecutions, that changes nothing.
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BOP Hands the Tablet Contract to Securus
The Bureau awarded Securus the inmate tablet contract on July 8, 2026. It replaces the ATG/Keefe devices sold at commissary. Implementation has not started, and the Bureau has not said what happens to paid music and messages.
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Nicotine Is Back in the BOP
The Federal Bureau of Prisons has started selling nicotine pouches. Official policy still bans tobacco. It does not ban nicotine. The product is cheap, the purchase cap is tight, and a secondary market is already easy to see coming.
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Six Federal Prisons Are Closing. La Tuna Could Become a Migrant Detention Center.
The Bureau of Prisons is permanently closing six facilities, displacing about 5,400 people in custody and 500 staff, citing extreme understaffing and a $4 billion maintenance backlog. In Anthony, Texas, residents worry La Tuna could become a migrant detention center.
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Thirteen Men Freed Under the First Step Act Face Going Back to Prison
A May Supreme Court ruling in Rutherford v. United States removed the legal basis for the compassionate release of 13 people. Matthew Charles, the first person freed under the First Step Act, says clemency is their only remaining path.
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BOP Begins Transition to CICLOPS: A Long-Overdue Modernization of Its Core Inmate Management System
BOP Begins Transition to CICLOPS: A Long-Overdue Modernization of Its Core Inmate Management System Category: BOP History & Decline / Rehabilitation Programs: Lost Opportunities Published: August 2026 For decades, the Federal Bureau of Prisons has relied on SENTRY — an aging,
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The Cycle of Despair: How Mismanagement in U.S. Federal Prisons Fuels Drug Epidemics and Endangers Staff
The U.S. Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) faces an escalating crisis driven by illicit drugs infiltrating its facilities, creating a self-sustaining cycle of despair and hopelessness that impacts inmates and correctional staff alike. Historically, drugs entering prisons were smuggled primarily by
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Topics
- BOP History & Decline
- Rehabilitation Programs: Lost Opportunities
- Prison Conditions & Safety
- Healthcare Neglect in Prisons
- Statistics & Data: Exposing the Crisis
- Corruption & Lack of Accountability
- Advocacy & Reform Strategies
- Systemic Impact: Prisons & Society
- Technology & Data: Smarter Solutions for Reform
- Legal Battles & Legislative Updates
- Corrections