Boosting public safety starts with fully funding federal prisons

Some self-surrender. Others are put on a bus, bound for the place they will live for a period of time. Upon arrival, the imposing razor wire, high fencing, and unmistakable sound of the gate locking behind them are stark signs that a prison sentence has begun.

Just under half a million people enter prison each year. Many Americans believe the job of public safety ends there, but 95 percent of prisoners will be released. Sadly, two out of three will be rearrested within three years, so we must think about public safety beyond the prison walls.

The stated job of the Federal Bureau of Prisons is to ensure men and women do their time “ in facilities that are safe, humane, cost-efficient, and appropriately secure .” The bureau also offers numerous reentry programs to help people better themselves so they can return home and succeed.

But those aspirations cannot be fulfilled without proper financial support. Congress should fully fund federal prisons so the bureau is adequately staffed and equipped to safely prepare incarcerated men and women for reentry and reduce further instances of crime.

The Bureau of Prisons has a massive footprint, with prisons from Hawaii to New Hampshire and more than 153,000 prisoners in its custody. Just under 34,000 employees work for the agency, but not all are correctional officers. This has led to a dangerously high prisoner-to-officer ratio, which reached 10.2-to-one in 2024 .

Inadequate funding and the resultant low pay for correctional officers, when compared to other law enforcement agencies, have plagued the bureau for years. This has resulted in “pervasive” staffing shortages, according to the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General. In addition, many of the bureau’s facilities are in need of urgent maintenance.

These challenges came to a head in July when the bureau announced multiple prison closures . Despite a $5 billion cash infusion from Congress last year, the bureau conceded it wasn’t enough to solve problems that have lingered for decades.

A lack of adequate resources renders the Bureau of Prisons unable to fulfill its public safety mission. This can be as simple as having enough staff on duty to supervise addiction recovery groups or educational, vocational, and other types of programs like the new Prison Fellowship Academy at Federal Correctional Institution El Reno in Oklahoma. The Prison Fellowship program helps men and women replace criminal thinking and behaviors with renewed values and purpose. Prisoners who participate in educational or vocational training while incarcerated have a 43 percent lower recidivism rate , according to the RAND Corporation.

The safety of those who work and live in prison is of utmost importance. Understaffing makes work dangerous for those who are on duty, and it worsens living conditions for prisoners. This can lead to violence and lockdowns, which leaves the bureau with less time to focus on prisoner rehabilitation and reentry.

The Bureau of Prisons doesn’t determine who goes to prison or how long they stay. Rather, it is the final link in the criminal justice chain — though often the one that gets the least attention. This is not sustainable; when one link is weakened, the entire chain is at risk of collapse.

Funding the bureau may not seem like a high priority, but it is necessary to advance public safety and protect those who work and live in prison. It is also paramount if we want people who serve their time in prison to successfully reintegrate into society.

The pillars of maintaining safe and secure facilities and preparing people for reentry can only be realized if the Bureau of Prisons is provided the necessary resources. Congress must act soon to secure this vital funding.

Scott Peyton is the senior director of advocacy for Prison Fellowship.