New article reports on interview with BOP Director William Marshall

In this new Forbes article, headlined "Bureau Of Prisons Director William Marshall Addresses Challenges," Walter Pavlo reports on his interview with BOP's new leader.  I recommend the full piece, and here are some excerpts:

Newly appointed Bureau of Prisons (BOP) Director William Marshall III provided me with an exclusive interview for a post on Forbes.com. He discussed his first 10 weeks in the position and how he is addressing the many challenges facing the Agency.

Director Marshall, who formerly headed the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation, inherited a BOP office in disarray and void of leadership. Director Colette Peters was dismissed in the opening hours of the Trump administration in January and the acting director named as her temporary replacement announced his retirement shortly after his appointment. Marshall told me, “We are a different administration from the previous one that did little to move some important initiatives that were started under Donald J. Trump. We intend to fully implement the First Step Act (FSA), something that will be part of this president’s legacy on criminal justice reform.”

Marshall understands that there have been communication problems within the BOP, which has been a major problem in implementing the FSA. Marshall said that key to the FSA law was returning non-violent offenders back home as soon as possible while focusing on locking those up who pose a threat to society. “The President and Attorney General Pamela Bondi are committed to Making America Safe Again,” Marshall said....

In speaking with many inmates and their families over the past few weeks, they tell me of signs on case manager doors stating they have no information on the new FSA directive. “We have to provide clear communication to the field,” Marshall said of such stories, “We are looking for people [case managers] who are part of the solution to fully implementing FSA.” Families I have spoken to remain skeptical as the BOP has fallen short in providing clarity on its own policies, leading to lawsuits and some people staying in prison longer than the law allows. Many just want to know when their loved one is coming home.

One remaining uncertainty is how far the BOP will go in utilizing both the FSA and the Second Chance Act, a law that allows up to one year of prerelease custody. By "stacking" the two programs, inmates could spend more time in the community, searching for job opportunities and reconnecting with their families sooner. However, limited capacity at residential reentry centers (halfway houses) has resulted in many inmates staying in prison longer than necessary. "We need to address this," Marshall said, “we have halfway house space, but we need to be smarter in how we use it. Ultimately, our goal is to return people to the community who pose no threat to public safety.”...

Marshall also spoke about the leadership of Deputy Director Josh Smith who was appointed just a few weeks ago. Smith is the highest ranking BOP executive who also had a past felony conviction decades ago. Smith was pardoned by Trump at the end of his first term in office. “People will see Deputy Director Smith as someone who is committed to BOP staff and their safety,” Marshall said, “he has a passion and commitment to make the BOP successful and we’re lucky to have someone like that here with us.”