This bill changes the appointment process for the Director of the Bureau of Prisons to require confirmation by the President and Senate, and establishes a 10-year term limit.
Glenn Thompson
Representative
PA-15
The Federal Prisons Accountability Act of 2025 seeks to increase oversight of the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) by changing how its Director is selected. This bill mandates that the Director of the BOP must now be appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate, similar to other high-ranking DOJ officials. Furthermore, the legislation establishes a fixed 10-year term for the Director, limiting service to a single term. These changes aim to bring greater accountability to the leadership of the large federal prison system.
Federal Prison Director Role Gets 10-Year Term and Senate Vetting Under New Accountability Bill
The Federal Prisons Accountability Act of 2025 is looking to shake up who runs the Bureau of Prisons (BOP)—the agency that manages over 176,000 federal inmates and employs more than 36,000 people. Currently, the Director of the BOP is appointed directly by the Attorney General (AG) without any external oversight. This bill changes that process completely, requiring the President to appoint the Director, but only with the advice and consent of the Senate (SEC. 3(a)). The goal here is to raise the status of the BOP Director to match other high-stakes roles in the Department of Justice, like the heads of the FBI and DEA, which already require Senate confirmation.
The New 10-Year Clock: Stability vs. Accountability
The biggest change for the everyday operation of the BOP isn't the Senate vote; it's the new time limit on the job. Under this act, the Director will be appointed for a fixed term of 10 years and can only serve one term (SEC. 3(d)(1)). This is a huge shift. Right now, the Director serves at the pleasure of the AG, meaning they can be replaced at any time. The new 10-year term is designed to bring stability to an agency with a $7 billion budget and massive responsibilities, ensuring leadership isn't constantly changing with political winds. For the correctional officers and staff working high-risk jobs, stable leadership could mean more consistent policies and long-term planning.
Who Gains Power, and Who Loses It?
This change is a classic bureaucratic power shift. The Attorney General loses direct, unilateral control over who runs the federal prison system. They can no longer simply fire and hire the Director on their own. Instead, that power moves to the President (who appoints) and the Senate (which confirms). For the public, this means more accountability—the person running the prisons has to face a public hearing and be vetted by Congress, giving taxpayers and victims a chance to see who is taking the job.
However, that 10-year term is a double-edged sword. While it promotes stability, it also insulates the Director. If a Director isn't performing well, or if the AG or President wants a change in direction, a 10-year fixed term makes it much harder to remove them. This could mean a decade of policy continuity, which is good if the policies are working, but a decade of entrenched problems if they aren't. It’s a trade-off between giving the Director the freedom to plan long-term and making sure they remain responsive to the executive branch that appointed them.
Transition Time for the Current Boss
What about the person currently holding the job? The bill gives the incumbent Director a short window: they can continue to serve for only three months after the bill is enacted (SEC. 3(b)). After that, the new appointment process kicks in. Importantly, the bill explicitly states that the President can choose to appoint the incumbent Director under the new 10-year, Senate-confirmed structure (SEC. 3(c)). This means the current Director isn't automatically out, but they will certainly be feeling the pressure of a ticking clock and the need to prepare for a Senate confirmation hearing if the President chooses to keep them on.