Two senators are demanding answers from the Federal Bureau of Prisons about why it rejected several offers from faith-based organizations looking to help convicted offenders avoid relapsing into criminal behavior.
Sens. James Lankford and Gary Peters requested documents detailing the BOP‘s process for selecting applicants and other information in a letter to the agency’s director.
At issue is the agency’s implementation of the First Step Act, signed into law in 2018 by former President Donald Trump.
The act, which seeks to reduce recidivism rates, called for the development of policies for prisons to partner with nonprofit and other private organizations, including faith-based, art, and community-based organizations.
A 2022 First Step Act annual report shows that BOP received 11 external applications but only approved four. Only one of the four was faith-based.
Family Research Council President Tony Perkins called the report “concerning” and thanked Lankford and Peters for raising awareness about the situation.
In a social media post Perkins wrote: “Biden’s HHS Dept. will spend $67M on payroll for DEI but rejects the help of faith-based groups in federal prisons — despite evidence showing faith-based programs reduce recidivism & save taxpayers money.”