Bureau of Prisons director gone as Trump Justice Department reforms take shape

The director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) resigned from her position, while a Biden-era executive order that sought to phase out the use of private prisons was repealed amid President Donald Trump efforts to implement drastic reforms of the Ministry of Justice.

Colette Peters, who has led the BOP since August 2022, is stepping down as director of the beleaguered agency, replaced by William Lothrop, who had been the BOP’s deputy director.

Peters was appointed in 2022 by then-Attorney General Merrick Garland and touted as a reform-minded outsider tasked with rebuilding an agency plagued for years by understaffing, widespread corruption, misconduct and abuse.

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The agency has nearly 36,000 employees and is responsible for more than 155,000 federal prisoners.

Lothrop, who says he has more than 30 years of BOP experience, announced the change in a statement Tuesday, a day after President Trump was sworn in. The BOP director is not subject to Senate confirmation, according to the 360 ​​News Legal Service Act.

“On January 20, 2025, Director Peters will separate from the Federal Bureau of Prisons and I will serve as Acting Director,” Lothrop said. “As we face ongoing challenges, including staff shortages and operational issues, I am committed to working with you to find the right solutions that strengthen our facilities. We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners and stakeholders to maintain robust programming and support services for prisoners.”

“Our mission remains clear: to provide a safe, secure and humane environment, ensure public safety and prepare those in our custody for successful re-entry into society,” his statement added.

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Shortly after Trump was elected, Peters announced the closure of six men’s federal prisons and one women’s facility, including the scandal-plagued Federal Penitentiary in Dublin, Californiaaccording to Forbes.

FCI Dublin was nicknamed the “rape club” after the Ministry of Justice in December ordered to pay nearly $116 million to 103 women who say they were abused there.

Former prison warden, Ray Garcia, and at least seven other employees now they themselves are in prison for sexually abusing prisoners.

During her Peters tenure, she appeared before the House and Senate Judiciary Committees and spoke about the challenges the BOP faced, but had trouble getting results.

In September 2023, Peters reprimanded the Sens. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., and Mike Lee, R-Utah, who said Peters made them wait more than a year for answers to written follow-up questions they sent her after she first appeared before the committee in September 2022, leaving them without information crucial to a full understanding of the agency’s work.

Peters also angered senators by claiming she could not answer even the most basic questions about the agency’s operations — such as the number of prison officers on staff — and by referring to notes and talking points on a tablet in front of her.

In 2024, then-President Biden signed the Federal Prison Oversight Act, which allowed the Office of the Inspector General to conduct more unannounced inspections of prisons, Forbes writes.

From inspections conducted by the OIG over the years, it has found significant understaffing, poor medical care for inmates, spoiled food and filthy living conditions. Peters said she welcomes the bill, but that it is not yet funded.

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Trump rescinded Executive Order 14006, which eliminated Ministry of Justice contracts with private prisons. The repeal now allows for new contracts between private prison corporations and the US Marshals Service.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.