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ExpectMore.govExpectMore.gov home pageEXPECT FEDERAL PROGRAMS TO PERFORM WELL, AND BETTER EVERY YEAR.
 
Program Assessment

Program

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Prisons Operations

The Bureau of Prisons (BOP) protects society by confining federal inmates in prisons and other facilities that are safe, humane, cost-efficient and appropriately secure. The BOP incarcerates offenders in 114 prisons nationwide. The BOP houses over 199,000 prisoners in federal prisons and over 32,600 in contract facilities

Rating

What This Rating Means

PERFORMING
Moderately Effective

In general, a program rated Moderately Effective has set ambitious goals and is well-managed. Moderately Effective programs likely need to improve their efficiency or address other problems in the programs' design or management in order to achieve better results.
  • The program has a well defined federal role and is results oriented. For example, the Bureau sets annual prison operations goals regarding costs (per capita), inmate programs (drug treatment), and management (number of serious assaults).
  • The BOP is the subject of external evaluations and audits conducted by the American Correctional Association (ACA), the Joint Commission of Health Care Org. (JCAHO), the Office of the Inspector General, and KPMG LLP. In addition, the BOP has an internal systematic approach to assessing operations and programs at all organizational levels through the BOP Program Review Process.
  • Major flaws have been identified and addressed in the DOJ Strategic Plan, the PART improvement plans, as well as long-term and annual goals.

Improvement Plan

About Improvement Plans

We are taking the following actions to improve the performance of the program:

  • Taking greater advantage of available state, local and private sector prison space to reduce crowding.
  • Provide a summary of the Reduction and Elimination of Duties Management Assessment Project (REDMAP) findings for medical operations at BOP prisons and track the elimination of redundant functions.
  • Provide data and analysis gauging residential re-entry centers' value as key management and rehabilitative tools.

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