Lappin is Out

Nearly simultaneously, the current director of the federal Bureau of Prison Harley Lappin was arrested for DUI and announced his resignation from his position at the bureau. All this occurred in late march, 2011.

Now that his retirement is looming, the embattled U.S. Attorney General has announced the appointment of Lappin’s replacement: Charles E. Samuels Jr. Below is an excerpt from the original DOJ piece from justice.gov.

“Attorney General Eric Holder today announced the appointment of Charles E. Samuels Jr. as the director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP).

“I am pleased that Charles will continue to build upon 23 years of distinguished service at the department,” said Attorney General Holder. “I am confident that Charles will provide the kind of effective and innovative leadership that will increase efficiency, further expand prisoner development and reentry programs, and allow for transparency and accountability at the Federal Bureau of Prisons – while remaining true to the BOP’s core mission of protecting public safety.”

“I am very honored to be appointed by Attorney General Holder to serve as the director for the Federal Bureau of Prisons and will continue to work with the great staff at every level of the BOP to meet our mission to protect society and provide meaningful life skills and reentry programs for our inmate population,” said Samuels. “I also look forward to working with the leadership and others in the Department of Justice, throughout the federal government and in states and local communities to further the department’s goals and objectives.”

Samuels began his career with the BOP as a correctional officer in 1988. He was promoted to a number of positions within the BOP including correctional programs administrator and executive assistant for the Northeast Regional Office. Samuels has served as associate warden at the Federal Correctional Institutions at Otisville, N.Y. and Beckley, W.Va.; ombudsman in the BOP’s Central Office; warden at the Federal Correctional Institutions at Manchester, Ky. and Fort Dix, N.J.; and senior deputy assistant director of the Correctional Programs Division.”

The Rumor Mill

This news will no doubt set the inmates of the Bureau of Prisons ablaze with rumor about how this new director will be great or terrible. The reality is that there is no indication that the BOP will do anything except the same old stuff under the direction of Samuels.