Support that we have a oversight hearing i think there will be a couple areas of inquiry, all things Jeffrey Epstein. And hopefully about the implementation of firststepan a. And where do we go from there. How do you build upon that those are the three areas i would like to talk about. I will turn over to senator feinstein. E areas i would like to talk about at all tonight over. Thank you very much mister chairman. I want to welcome you and its wonderful for me to say a woman in charge so we can celebrate for a few moments at least that you are responsible for the care and custody of over 180,000 federal inmates and one of the approximately 35,500 employees as of may of this year. And as the chairman mentioned that are two issues i hope we can focus on your point is the First Step Act which he mentioned, and the second is problems with staffing and conditions within your department. Im going to put most of this in the record, but i think what ill do, mr. Chairman, in the interest of time is just put this statement in the record. Without objection. Senator durbin, did you Want Congress came together to pass what iem considered to be e of the most important criminal Justice Reform laws in a generation, the first act passed by overwhelming bipartisan majorities and signed byy President Trump. We now have an obligation to ensure this law be properly implemented. I think chairman graham for holding this hearing at my request but im disappointed that the department of justice refused our committees bipartisan request to testify today. This is one of the many troubling signs the department of justice is not on board in implementingti the first step at here a fair since the act of 2010 which i coauthored with senators grassley ansley dramatically reduce the oven just crackpot dispersed from 100 to one down to 18 to one. By the department of justice is assisting retro active fair sentencing actually for eligible individuals in some cases even working to put them back behind bars. I wrotete the provision first sp act the reduces these unjust sentences for nonviolent offenders and the position that the Justice Department is taking is just plain wrong. Take the position that the justice is just taking is plain wrong. It department of justice should be working to identify eligible individuals and not waste valuable resources to keep them behind bars. So far, at least 1600 people have been induce because of the application of their sentencing act. There should be more. Id like to recognize mister chairman to visitors who are here today. They have benefited and one has benefited from the First Step Act and i like to recognize my constituent Edward Douglas and his exceptional lawyer who are here today. Thank you for joining us. Could you raise your hands . Thank you. Edward douglas received a life sentence triggered by two minor nonviolent convictions. He served 16 years in prison, became one of the first people released under the First Step Act. Given a second chance, edward and others who are here today are making the criminal Justice System better and more just. Its worth all of our time and effort to pass the First Step Act. I hope it will inspire all of us to search for partisan solutions and the department of justice to change his mind and join us. Thank you. Thank you. Doctor soy are, a mere presence in 1976 as a psychologist at the federal collection in town and in 1983 she was named the chief of psychology of Psychological Services and had increasing responsibilities since then. She has previously served as director from 1992 to 2003. She is reappointed as director in august of this year would you please rise . Yes sir. Raise your hand. Do you testimony by this Committee Welcome and the floors your. Good morning. Good morning chairman graham and Ranking Member feinsteind . And members of the committee. I appreciated the opportunity to discuss with youth the mission and operations of the bureau of prisons. I thank the committee for your work with the bureau over many years. Your support has beenwi integral to our operations for decades including our years of tremendous publishing growth, rapid expansion andy opening up new institutions. I also think you and your colleagues for your groundbreaking criminal justice work and the bipartisan support of the First Step Act for a look forward to sharing with you our progress in implementing this critical piece of legislation. Programming to assist inmates c and returning them to the committees as lawabiding citizens has been ap cornerstone of our mission will lock of inmate reentry journey begins the day the right in our custody. With the First Step Act we look forward to further enriching the offerings to help improve the lives of our inmates, thereby help keep opportunities safer. I was honored three months ago to be selected by attorney general barr to return to lead the bureau and to work alongside the finest correctional professionals in the world. I begin my career as a psychology intern at one ofur or present and no positions of increasing responsibility to include wharton, associate warden, before my original appointed at the burris six director 1992. , including warde, before my promotion. Much has changed in the 16 years that i was outside of the bureau, and since the last served as director. The foundation is still quite sound. We have been challenged significantly by the dramatic growth, they experienced commiserate with significant budget cuts that all the tragedy of 9 11, when this focus shift came from crime to terrorism. Our budget suffered severely after that period, our over 300,000 staff goes largely unseen by the general public. This inherently dangerous work, politically at our highest security institutions, where our most dangerous and waits serve, is responsibility we take very seriously. Unfortunately, we have experienced significant Staff Shortages that make our job even more difficult. In my first 12 weeks, i have placed great emphasis on filling our 3000 vacancies nationwide. Since returning as director, of mobilized the system live overview to identify areas of strength and witnesses, and ive identified three significant areas that need emphasis. One, staffing. One is training, and the third is an infamous on sound correctional practices. Our system is the largest in the nation, housing hundred 76,000 inmates, and this is critical to ensure our staff are following the policies and procedures that keep staff, and mates in the public safe. The bureau also continues to face dangerous threats from the introduction of contraband, synthetic drugs, narcotics and carbon cellphones are the threats. The use of drones is an ongoing problem that continues to evolve. We have employed technologies and continue to leverage new technologies and solutions to detect and enter day contraband. Some they do over 80 years old. To our earliest periods of corrections. Since they are continuously used, and this aging infrastructure sustained extensive where it here and premature deterioration. This is the first act, and i am pleased to report that we have made great progress. Weve implemented the many requirements of the act, and the independent review quality on the act that it requires. Weve listened too many advocacy groups, the statutory timelines in this act are very formidable, but im proud to say that we have met key deadlines. We continue to balance the force step act. I will be happy to answer any questions you might. Half as i indicated i want to talk about the death of mr. Epstein. Do you concur with the opinion that it was a suicide . That was the finding of the corner. If any evidence to suggest otherwise . How did this happen . The death and the whole situation is still under the investigation of the fbi, and the Inspector Generals Office. Im not at liberty to discuss the specifics of this case. I can discuss issues around and situational operations, but i cannot talk about that particular issue. With the case this high profile, there has to be a major malfunction and the system to allow this to happen, so are you looking at both, the fbi is looking at both . If the fbi is it off, the looking at a criminal enterprise. Do you have people in custody today of this high profile nature . Have we done anything to adjust since mr. Epsteins death . We take every and made life very seriously in the bureau of prisons. A highprofile invite isnt the more important or significant in terms of our operations than just the average and might that comes our. They high profile, so that is on the suicide watch. I would like to explain that system. I can talk about epstein, but we have different tiers of response, of an and made that has suicidal thinking. I came as a psychologist, i worked with very suicidal inmates, and i know how difficult it is that it is too protect was suicidal and who is not. Once we have identified a suicide watch operation, we place inmates in. Its a very difficult setting where everything instructs in the room, except a mattress. They get a course of gal to wear that cannot be trusted in any way they can hang themselves from it. They have one mattress and one blanket, and they are watched constantly, theres nothing else in that room. Was he on suicide . Watch yes. The average time on suicide watch is only about 24 hours, because it is such a stark and depressing situation. We then can move into another to europe observation, which is called psychological observation. That happened in this case . I cant speak specifically but im sharing his wishes original you can understand our procedure. There is another tier which is a psychological observation where they get their clothes back and there more a normalize setting at their scrutinized every moment of the day but that is a much more normal environment. Im sorry. Do they have roommates . Not on suicide watch cars are being watched continuously. Did mr. Epstein have a roommate when he committed suicide . He did not. This psychological observation is seen repeatedly and one of the storm and at the threat of suicide seems to have passed, then they can be returned back to the open population. Clearly, it didnt work here so we will wait for the report because everything on mr. Epstein had their heart ripped out because i never see them again. Parole. When did parole or what was paroled alleviated from the system . I became director and 92 and parole was already gone for a new cases it was old cases that it was gone so it was the late eighties early nineties. When was that role implemented in . You have to ask congress. There was people up here that made that decision. Do you have any recommendations on whether we should look at reinstitute in parole with the federal law . Im encouraged by the First Step Act sir, how would that be different and parole . It would be significantly different in what respect that i was going to comment on. Parole is an incentive and they want to get involved in programs and want to do positive things. Because they saw the benefit in that and they can earn earlier release. If they are hearing this commission is favorable. First step back it is offered some new incentives to want to perform well and engage in programs because a lot of programs out there for the past many years and none of them are as high as what were looking for because a lot of times the inmates if they were doing didnt seem to benefit for them. The First Step Act helps in that regard to want to improve themselves and to move forward. What system would give the most flexibility in terms of deciding who to release and someone has been there 25 to 30 years or 40 or 50 year sentence and parole about bit differently than the First Step Act . Is that correct . They parole act and the Parole Commission who were interviewing an inmate who would have different points in their career institutions would look at the progress on how they done how they benefited and how they repaired to be. Would there be a push or review that should be reinstated on the federal level . We havent thought about that what wed look to happy to step back. Let me know. Wed be happy to do that. Thank you very much mister chairman. On november 17th, the New York Times published a story of hazing, humiliation and terror and working well female in the federal prison. Now given the fact and i wrote this in a leather in a letter to mr. Oral wits last year. That the borough has been unnoticed since 2010. That it was clear at that time and sufficient steps were not taken to protect female guards. I requested that the department of justice ig investigate the boroughs failure to adequately address harassment of female guards. We ask that the ig look into the situation. What is the situation today and what has been done to address this issue . Senator, when you have women and obviously im a woman and i worked at the prison for 30 years. When you have women in prison with all male inmates, you have a lot of knuckleheads in that institution. As a woman on a metro car as to be careful here in d. C. That guys are going to move up against them and try to touch them or walk down the street and get catcalls from workers on his side. There are not jobs all over the place and youre going to find them in an institution ought also. There are going to be times when the in misbehave very inappropriately to our female staff. Our female staff need to stand up and address that. The problem with these Sexual Harassment issues that were raised that were made a gravely is when the female staff did not feel the male staff or male counterparts were coming to their insistence in aid. Thats where we drop the ball and we cant always control the behavior of inmates because what do they have to lose if you write the report, new have them in special housing for a while may come back. The part of this that angered me tremendously when the female staff went with the male staff were not stepping up to help them. That is where our attention is educating all of our staff out there and we all our colleagues and need to be treated professionally and its never okay to allow anyone to disrespect our other colleagues. So that is our action and weve had some reports with various inmates and held the staff accountable. Let me ask you this question. Today, do managers separate a female correctional staff officer from a senior officer who made sexual comments and propositions . Yes, whenever we are aware of his situation with a threat assessment and we determine whether or not those two individuals were investigated and whether they continue to Work Together in the same environment. If theres any concern and they are separated. What exactly has been done to remedy that situation . As i said, we increased have you separated and what to be done . I dont have the numbers with me i can get those for you but we have increased the penalties on inmates that behave that way and educated our staff in terms of that being Inappropriate Conduct to not support your colleagues and fines female or male Staff Members who will do the same thing and we will take action on those in investigating to take appropriate action. I would like to see the documentation on what you have done in that regard and so i requested now and in my past i served six years on the california womens term of parole and had sentences with parole and ran the womens prison. I know a little bit about prisons. And ive been in a large number and everyone in california as a matter of fact. So, i am concerned about this on a federal level. I think it is a vague and imprecise. I would like to know exactly what has happened and what has been done to remedy the situation. If you could buy that up to me i would be very grateful for it. I share your concern senator and ill get the information. Thank you very much. Youre very welcome. Before i ask questions, im not going to ask these groups to stand but i want to thank people that support the First Step Act for coming here for this hearing and due process against families against mandatory minimums and of local prison locals. Before i get to some questions about the First Step Act. I want to comment because some critics of the First Step Act will have the case of jewel francisco, a prisoner in new jersey who was lit released on a crack cocaine sentence which was calculated and making the sentences closer to those imposed for powdered cocaine and october, francisco was arrested for first degree murder. Question, francisco would have gotten out of prison even without the First Step Act. Is that a correct . Eventually, yes or. The First Step Act will help prevent the crimes like this in the future by steering more prisoners away from future criminal conduct . I would hope so sir. Now, in regards to the first stepped act enforcement. I want to complement the people at the prison or senator urban and i visited a couple of months ago for what i get from them as a real good faith effort to carry out. My question is, since the First Step Act seeks to reduce sentences among them offenders, Congress Passes this law with the presence that develop a risk and Assessment Tool to make sure prisoners risk of recidivism is a program that they should be and rolled into reduce citizens. Which was released in july of the Justice Department has knowledge that the job is only have done because the prisms toolss quote was not included successfully in this component. Question. When can we expect borough prisms to comply with the first effect with implementing these tools a segment tools . Senator, weve been working closely with the department of the development of the Risk Assessment and the pattern that is actually based on our own system thats rich citizen based and we improved its