EXCLUSIVE — A pair of senators demanded information from the Bureau of Prisons on Tuesday about its efforts to improve recidivism rates after learning that the agency has rejected numerous attempts from faith-based groups to help.
Sens. James Lankford (R-OK) and Gary Peters (D-MI) revealed in a letter obtained by the Washington Examiner to Bureau of Prisons Director Colette Peters that they had learned the agency received applications from eight groups with religious affiliations that specialized in recidivism reduction but only partially accepted two of them.
Five of the eight applications were denied and a sixth remains pending, Lankford and Peters said. The Bureau of Prisons is required under the First Step Act to allow private organizations, including faith-based ones, to provide recidivism services to federal prisons.
“These numbers are concerning, particularly at a time when individuals across the BOP system are on waitlists to participate in [evidence-based recidivism reduction] programming,” Lankford and Peters wrote.
The First Step Act was one of President-elect Donald Trump’s chief accomplishments during his first term in office. Its purpose was to lower the prison population, in part by improving recidivism, that is, lowering the number of people who commit more crimes after leaving prison. Recidivism services could include coming up with mental health treatment plans for inmates or helping them find housing when their sentences end.
Lankford, in particular, has been pursuing information from the Bureau of Prisons for at least a year about what work it has done to partner with private groups to reduce recidivism, including those with religious affiliations. Lankford successfully offered the amendment to the First Step Act that required this public-private partnership.
Bringing Peters, chairman of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, into the fold escalates Lankford’s initial inquiries and adds a bipartisan element to it.
The First Step Act was “signed into law over five years ago, but the implementation of recidivism reduction partnerships appears stagnant,” Lankford and Peters wrote.
The pair of senators demanded the Bureau of Prisons director provide them with details about the application process for organizations that want to provide recidivism services. They also asked for all records the agency had regarding the selection process.
Numerous outside groups, such as Families Against Mandatory Minimums, focus on helping inmates reenter society. The Catholic Mobilizing Network is an example of a faith-based group that provides similar services. Lankford and Peters did not identify which of the faith-based groups the Bureau of Prisons denied.
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A Bureau of Prisons spokesperson confirmed to the Washington Examiner that it received the senators’ letter but declined to comment further.
“The Federal Bureau of Prisons responds directly to Members of Congress and their staff,” the spokesperson said. “Out of respect and deference to Members, we do not share our Congressional correspondence with media.”