BOP Creates New Office to Oversee First Step Act Implementation
The Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) established a new office to oversee implementation of the First Step Act– the 2018 law aimed at reducing recidivism and improving rehabilitation and reentry for federal prisoners. The move comes after years of challenges implementing the law including staffing issues, a lack of halfway houses, and other obstacles.
The First Step Act (FSA) office will report to BOP Director William K. Marshall III and will initially comprise 15 staffers. It will operate out of BOP’s Central Office in Washington, D.C., as well as the Designation and Sentence Computation Center in Grand Prairie, Texas.
The goal of the office: coordinate the law’s implementation across the federal prison system, including the calculation of First Step Act Time Credits, programming, staffing, training, budgeting, and compliance.
Director Marshall told Spectrum News that staffers will be entirely focused on implementation and that the office will serve as a direct landing point for information on the program.
“The establishment of this dedicated office demonstrates the Bureau’s commitment to the successful implementation of the First Step Act and our mission to reduce recidivism and promote successful reentry,” said Director Marshall.
Special Assistant to the Director Rick Stover says the creation of the office will improve BOP’s ability to provide timely and consistent guidance throughout its facilities.
“Consistency is going to be paramount for making this a success. We haven't had that consistency until now,” said Stover.
Among the tasks the office has is overseeing the administration and calculation of First Step Act Time Credits where federal prisoners earn 10 to 15 days of time credits for every 30 days of successful participation in recidivism reduction programming or other approved activities.
“If there's an issue with hey I think my time credits are wrong, if there's an issue with hey I didn't get my time credits when I thought I would get my time credits, all of this will be answered by this group,” said Stover.
The move also comes as the Justice Department’s inspector general released a report in May 2026 on BOP’s First Step Act progress.
That report found that BOP had not provided institutions with sufficiently clear guidance on how First Step Act funding should be spent. It also found that programs advertised to prisoners were not always available because of staffing shortages, space limitations ,and institutional lockdowns.
