Justice Dept. taps reforming outsider to run federal prisons

By MICHAEL BALSAMO and MICHAEL R. SISAK
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department has named the director of Oregon’s prison system to run the federal Bureau of Prisons. In picking Colette Peters, the Biden administration is turning to a reform-minded outsider as it seeks to rebuild the beleaguered agency. Peters championed steeply reducing Oregon’s inmate population and will inherit a federal agency plagued by myriad scandals. The hiring of Peters comes about seven months after Bureau of Prisons Director Michael Carvajal submitted his resignation amid mounting pressure from Congress. Investigations by The Associated Press had exposed widespread corruption and misconduct in the agency. Peters says she takes inmate and guard safety and security “very seriously.”