Colette S. Peters, the longtime director of the Oregon Department of Corrections, has been tapped to lead the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a sprawling network of 122 facilities with an annual budget of around $10 billion, housing about 158,000 inmates, reports the New York Times.
Peters, who began her career as an administrator in Oregon’s juvenile justice system, rose to national prominence after instituting changes in the state’s 14-facility system to improve the health and treatment of its 15,000 inmates. The federal prisons bureau has long been plagued by health and safety problems, physical and sexual abuse, corruption, turnover in the top management ranks and staffing issues, all exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The appointment comes after a long search to replace the current director, Michael Carvajal, who announced his intention to retire in January under pressure from Senate Democrats who questioned his management.
