Federal Bureau of Prisons history

In 1932 the Bureau opened USP Lewisburg, the first penitentiary built by the newly established agency.

Federal Prison Industries (FPI) � more commonly known by its trade name UNICOR � was established by Congress on June 23, 1934, as a wholly owned government corporation.

In 1937, James V. Bennett becomes the second Director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

By 1940, the Bureau had grown to 24 facilities with 24,360 inmates.

In 1964, Myrl E. Alexander becomes the third Director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

In 1969, the Robert F. Kennedy Youth Center opened, replacing the Chillicothe Reformatory and the National Training School for Boys.

In 1970, Norman A. Carlson becomes the fourth Director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

The first regional office, South Central, opened in 1973.

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. 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 Federal inmates.

The Sentencing Reform Act of 1984 led to the creation of the United States Sentencing Commission, which consisted of seven members, including federal judges, that were appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate.

The United States Sentencing Commission guidelines stated that inmates who committed crimes on or after November 1, 1987 would no longer be eligible for parole.

The last of the six total regional offices, the Mid-Atlantic Regional Office, would later open in 1990.

Under Director Quinlan�s leadership, the BOP successfully resolved the Talladega disturbance in 1991.

In 1992, Kathleen Hawk Sawyer becomes the sixth - and first female - Director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

Enactment of the National Capital Revitalization and Self-Government Improvement Act of 1997 required the BOP�s absorption of the entire DC felony population.

By the end of 2000, the BOP�s total inmate population had jumped to 145,125.

The Life Connections Program (LCP) � the BOP�s first residential multi-faith-based program � was established in 2002, to facilitate personal transformation and help reduce recidivism.

In 2003, Harley G. Lappin becomes the seventh Director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

In October 2006, the Bureau activated the Counter-Terrorism Unit (CTU) to assist in identifying inmates involved in terrorist activities and provide for the coordination of translation services and analysis of terrorist inmate communications.

In 2011, Charles E. Samuels, Jr. became the eighth Director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

In 2014, for the first time in 34 years, the population declined.

As of April 2017, there were 188,513 inmates in federal prisons in the US. 81% (153,746) of these inmates are in traditional federal prisons.

A variety of legislative changes, including most recently the First Step Act of 2018, will continue to contribute to the overall decline in the inmate population.

In 2019, Kathleen Hawk Sawyer becomes the tenth Director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons and the first Director appointed for a second time.

In 2020, Michael D. Carvajal becomes the eleventh Director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons.