A storied past.
For more than 90 years the Bureau of Prisons has achieved many accomplishments and faced extraordinary challenges.
Pursuant to Pub. L. No. 71-218, 46 Stat. 325 (May 14,1930), Congress established the Federal Bureau of Prisons (FBOP) within the Department of Justice (DOJ) and charged the agency with the "management and regulation of all Federal penal and correctional institutions." The federal prison system had already existed for nearly 40 years under the Three Prisons Act (1891), which authorized the first three federal penitentiaries: United States Penitentiary (USP) Leavenworth, USP Atlanta and USP McNeil Island, and had since grown to 11 federal prisons by 1930. The wardens functioned autonomously for the most part with limited oversight by a Department of Justice official, the Superintendent of Prisons, in Washington, DC.
During the 1920s, Assistant Attorney General Mabel Walker Willebrandt was responsible for the federal prison system, including creating institutions for younger offenders (Federal Reformatory, Chillicothe) and for women (Federal Reformatory, Alderson). Recognizing the need for centralized administration and standardized regulations, Ms. Willebrandt also pushed for the establishment of a new DOJ agency to oversee the federal prison system. In 1928, James V. Bennett (later to become the FBOP's second Director) of the Bureau of Efficiency conducted a study of the federal prison system that highlighted its problems, including overcrowding and the lack of meaningful programs for the incarcerated. This report led to Congress passing the Act of May 14, 1930, signed into law by President Herbert Hoover, creating the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
The new agency assumed the responsibilities of oversight, management, and administration of the 11 Federal prisons in operation at the time. As time passed and laws changed, the FBOP's responsibilities grew along with the prison population. By the end of 1930, the agency operated 14 facilities for a population just over 13,000. In 1932, the first penitentiary built by the newly established agency, USP Lewisburg, was opened. By 1940, the FBOP had grown to 24 facilities and a population of 24,360. Except for a few fluctuations, the number of incarcerated individuals did not change significantly between 1940 and 1980, when the population was 24,252. However, the number of facilities almost doubled (from 24 to 44) as the FBOP gradually moved from operating large facilities confining individuals of many security levels to operating smaller facilities that confined those with similar security needs.
As a result of Federal law enforcement efforts and new legislation that dramatically altered sentencing in the Federal criminal justice system, the 1980's brought a significant increase in the number of individuals incarcerated in the FBOP. The Sentencing Reform Act of 1984 established determinate sentencing, abolished parole, and reduced good time; additionally, several mandatory minimum sentencing provisions were enacted in 1986, 1988, and 1990. From 1980 to 1989, the number of adults in federal custody more than doubled, from just over 24,000 to almost 58,000, and the number of federal prisons increased to 62. During the 1990's, the population more than doubled again, reaching approximately 136,000 at the end of 1999 as efforts to combat illegal drugs and illegal immigration contributed to significantly increased conviction rates. By the end of the decade, the FBOP was operating 95 institutions.
For the next 13 years, the population continued to increase to over 217,000 adults incarcerated in 119 institutions. In 2014, for the first time in 34 years, the population declined. A variety of legislative changes, including most recently the First Step Act of 2018, continue to contribute to the overall reduction in the number of adults in federal prison. Today, the Bureau operates 120 federal prisons and manages a population of 157,853.
Federal Prison Industries, Inc. (FPI)
Federal Prison Industries, Inc. (FPI), a wholly owned government corporation, was created by statute (P.L. 73-461) on June 23, 1934, and implemented by Executive Order No. 6917, signed by President Roosevelt on December 11, 1934.
The mission of Federal Prison Industries, Inc., is to provide training and employment for incarcerated adults confined in FBOP institutions.
National Institute of Corrections (NIC)
The National Institute of Corrections (NIC) is a national center that provides aid to federal, state, and local correctional agencies and works to advance the practice of corrections throughout the country. The NIC was created by statute (P.L. 93-415) on September 7, 1974.
The National Institute of Corrections is a center of learning, innovation and leadership that shapes and advances effective correctional practice and public policy. It works to collaboratively respond to the needs of the corrections field by providing information, education, assistance, and training to correctional agencies.