This op-ed originally appeared in the The Hill
Editor’s Note: This column was co-authored by David Safavian and Justin Keener.
Here is good news we don’t hear every day: Violent crime is falling nationwide, with murders on track to be the lowest since 1900. Credit goes to police officers on the street keeping our communities safe, as well as those working in federal prisons helping prepare people for successful reentry.
But a proposed budget cut is threatening to undo this progress. If it passes, Americans will be less safe.
Once among the nation’s worst-performing corrections systems, the Bureau of Prisons is reversing decades of neglect. Bureau of Prison Director William Marshall III and Deputy Director Josh Smith implemented initiatives to stop contraband, increase security and cut recidivism. Meanwhile, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act is funding billions in long-ignored facility repairs. The result has been a more effective federal prison system, which has translated into safer streets.
Unfortunately, some in Congress want to cut the bureau’s budget to $293 million below 2025 levels and $422 million below President Trump’s request. Because most of that funding supports staff and prison operations, the cuts would fall hardest on the front-line professionals who have helped make communities safer.
Officer recruiting and retention have long been issues for the bureau. The pay is low, and the job is tough. In fact, the average life expectancy of a correctional officer is 59 years old, largely due to the stress of the job.
According to the American Federation of Government Employees, the federal corrections officer corps is down by 40 percent from its high of 20,000 a decade ago. With the current vacancy rate at 24 percent, the Bureau of Prisons faces a staffing crisis.
Against this backdrop, Immigration and Customs Enforcement is offering signing bonuses of up to $50,000, an attractive proposition for current or would-be corrections officers, making the recruitment and retention challenges worse.
With more people leaving, mandatory overtime has increased by 43 percent, resulting in officer burnout and even greater staffing shortages. A possible budget cut for the agency would intensify this vicious cycle, making public safety a casualty.
Ironically, many proponents in Congress have called for the bureau to raise salaries and retention incentives. The agency already has the authority to do so, but without funding to back it up, that authority becomes meaningless.
The consequences of these cuts extend beyond prison walls. Ninety-seven percent of those behind bars will eventually return to their communities. That is why rehabilitation is a core part of the Bureau of Prison’s mission — effective rehabilitation helps ensure they return as productive citizens rather than repeat offenders.
Read the full article in The Hill
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