Attorney General Merrick B. Garland today announced the appointment of Colette S. Peters as Director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) at the Department of Justice.
“The Justice Department’s mission to uphold the rule of law, keep our country safe, and protect civil rights depends on an effective, safe, and humane correctional system,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “Director Peters is uniquely qualified to lead BOP in its efforts to ensure the rehabilitation, health, and safety of incarcerated individuals, a safe and secure work environment for correctional staff, and transparency and accountability across federal detention facilities.”
BOP is one of the largest components of the Department of Justice and the nation’s largest correctional agency, with roughly 150,000 federal offenders confined in 122 federal prisons, and 178 community-based institutions abroad. The Director of BOP is responsible for guiding approximately 36,000 personnel in the fulfilment of BOP’s core mission.
Ms. Peters has 30 years of expertise in public safety and has been the Director of the Oregon Department of Corrections (ODOC) since 2012. She is the first woman to serve as ODOC Director and is also the Chair of the National Institute of Corrections Advisory Board and a previous Vice President of the Association of State Correctional Administrators.
“Colette Peters has a proven track record as a visionary leader in the field of corrections and public safety,” said Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco. “With her experience and judgment, she is the right leader for BOP and its dual mission of providing both safe detention and meaningful preparation for those in custody reentering society. I look forward to working with her.”
By articulating a vision for reform and employing innovation, creativity, external awareness, and strategic thinking to carry it out, Ms. Peters has shown that she is capable of leading change. ODOC established the “Oregon Way” under her leadership, a progressive strategy to boosting staff health and wellbeing and minimising the use of isolation for adults in detention in order to improve surroundings within correctional institutions to be more compassionate and representative of the outside community.
As a Victim Advocate and Crisis Mediator with the Denver Police Department, she started her career in public safety. She served as ODOC’s Assistant Director for Public Services and Inspector General from 2006 to 2008, and the ODOC Director of Public Affairs from 2004 to 2006. She served as the director of the Oregon Youth Authority from 2009 to 2012, which is the state organisation in charge of offering custody, treatment, and rehabilitation services to young people aged 12 to 24 who committed crimes before becoming 18 years old.
Ms. Peters received a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the College of St. Benedict in Saint Joseph, Minnesota, as well as a Master of Public Affairs in Criminal Justice from the Graduate School of Public Affairs at the University of Colorado in Denver.
She will begin work on Tuesday, August 2.