United States. Bureau of Prisons

The Bureau of Prisons (BOP) was created by the Act of May 14, 1930 (ch.274,- 46 Stat. 325) and signed into law by President Herbert Hoover. The mission of the Bureau of Prisons was to maintain secure, safe, and humane correctional institutions for individuals placed in the custody of the U.S. Attorney General; to develop and operate correctional programs that seek a balanced application of the concepts of punishment, deterrence, incapacitation and rehabilitation; and provide, primarily through the National Institute of Corrections, assistance to state and local correctional agencies.

The major functions of the Bureau of Prisons were to: (1) Manage the offender population to ensure safe and secure operations; (2) Ensure that there was a competent and representative workforce meeting the organization¿s needs; (3) Maintain all BOP facilities in operationally sound conditions and in compliance with security, safety, and environmental requirements; (4) Manage operations and resources in a competent and effective manner which encourages creativity and innovation in development of exemplary programs as well as excellence in maintaining the basis of correctional management. Continually strive toward improvements in effective use of resources and efficient delivery of services. (5) Provide services and programs to address inmate needs, provide productive use-of-time activities, and facilitate the successful reintegration of inmates into society, consistent with community expectations and standards; And (6) continue to seek opportunities to expand the involvement of community, and local, state, and federal agencies, in improving the effectiveness of the services provided to offenders and constituent agencies. Encourage staff to actively participate in order to improve partnerships that will allow the Bureau to carry out its mission within the criminal justice system and to remain responsive to other agencies and the public. Develop partnerships to focus the shared responsibility for the establishment of a supportive environment promoting the reintegration of offenders into the community.