U.S. Department
of Justice
Related Content
Press Release
Photo Gallery
Attorney General Merrick B. Garland Swears In Colette S. Peters as Director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons
"The Justice Department's mission to uphold the rule of law, keep our country safe, and protect civil rights depends on an effective, safe, and humane correctional system," said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. "Director Peters is uniquely qualified to lead BOP in its efforts to ensure the rehabilitation, health, and safety of incarcerated individuals, a safe and secure work environment for correctional staff, and transparency and accountability across federal detention facilities."
Attorney General Merrick B. Garland conducts the Oath of Office swearing in for Colette S. Peters as the new Director for the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Her husband holds the Peters family bible that the oath is sworn on.
"I am so thrilled to join the BOP team and family, especially now," said the newly appointed Bureau of Prisons Director Colette S. Peters. "This is an exciting time to be a part of corrections, historically a forgotten part of the public safety system, (but) no more. The community cares and has a voice we need to listen to, especially the difficult feedback. We have a United States Attorney General who cares... Congress cares, the First Step Act is a historic focus on how we do our business, and I welcome that accountability and oversight."
"I believe in good government, I believe in transparency, and I know we cannot do this work alone. We must come to this work with our arms wide open; in that vein, I look forward to working with the BOP team, DOJ leadership, the inspector general, congress, and others to proudly hold ourselves to a high standard."
-BOP Director Colette S. Peters
The newly appointed Director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons Colette S. Peters shakes hands with the Attorney General Merrick B. Garland.
BOP is one of the largest components of the Department of Justice and the nation's largest correctional agency, with approximately 150,000 federal offenders housed in 122 federal prisons, and 178 community-based facilities worldwide. The Director of BOP is responsible for leading over 36,000 employees in the implementation of BOP's core mission.
On August 2, 2022 Attorney General Merrick B. Garland swore in Colette S. Peters to serve as Director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) at the Department of Justice. Ms. Peters has 30 years of experience in public safety and has been the Director of the Oregon Department of Corrections (ODOC) since 2012. She is the first woman to serve as ODOC Director and is also the Chair of the National Institute of Corrections Advisory Board and a past Vice President of the Association of State Correctional Administrators.
Updated January 20, 2025
Related Content: