Durbin Statement on Resignation of Director Carvajal from Federal Bureau of Prisons

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today released the following statement in light of news that Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) Director Michael Carvajal will resign:

“For years, the Bureau of Prisons has been plagued by corruption, chronic understaffing, and mismanagement.  In the nearly two years since Director Carvajal was handpicked by then-Attorney General Bill Barr, he has failed to address the mounting crises in our nation’s federal prison system, including failing to fully implement the landmark First Step Act.  His resignation is an opportunity for new, reform-minded leadership at the Bureau of Prisons.”

For years, Durbin has sought to address the injustices and challenges that impact the daily lives of incarcerated Americans and their families—along with the correctional officers responsible for protecting both inmates and the communities surrounding our federal prisons.  In November, following an Associated Press investigation that found that BOP is a “hotbed of abuse, graft and corruption, and has turned a blind eye to employees accused of misconduct,” Durbin called on Attorney General Merrick Garland to replace Director Carvajal, stating that efforts to reform our criminal justice system “must start with new leadership.”

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