Bureau of Prisons

News August 14

Epstein’s Death Highlights A Staffing Crisis in Federal Prisons

A hiring freeze by the Trump administration shrank the federal prison workforce at twice the rate of the declining prison population.

By Justin George and Weihua Li

Analysis August 9

Money-Making Schemes That Ensnare Prisoners and Their Families

If it sounds too good to be true, legal experts say, it probably is.

By Christie Thompson

News June 18

First Step Offers Release for Some Prisoners—But Not Non-Citizens

About 750 federal inmates will be transferred to Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody starting in mid-July.

By Justin George

News June 5

White House Pushing to Help Prisoners Before Their Release

Officials are trying to line up jobs and housing for 2,200 inmates who are scheduled to be freed in July under the First Step Act.

By Justin George

Life Inside January 17

I'm in Prison During the Shutdown. I Didn't Get "Holiday Steak."

There will be beans (there's always beans). And half of a chicken.

By Seth Piccolo

News January 7

What the Government Shutdown Looks Like Inside Federal Prisons

Family visits canceled, guards driving for Uber, rising tensions and more.

By Eli Hager

Feature November 21, 2018

Treatment Denied: The Mental Health Crisis in Federal Prisons

The Bureau of Prisons set higher standards for psychiatric care. But instead of helping more inmates, the agency dropped thousands from its caseload, data shows.

By Christie Thompson and Taylor Elizabeth Eldridge

News January 26, 2018

The Bureau of Prisons Yields to a Chaplain’s Conscience

The bureau relents in a stalemate over pepper spray.

By Justin George

Commentary October 17, 2017

Federal Prisons Don’t Even Try to Rehabilitate the Undocumented

The Bureau of Prisons fails to provide basic resources to undocumented prisoners.

Jacob Schuman

News September 25, 2017

A Chaplain’s Conscience vs. the Bureau of Prisons

Stalemate over a can of pepper spray.

By Justin George