"If you want to know what’s really happening,
you have to go where the work is being done."
- Director William K. Marshall III
(BOP) - Since the beginning of his tenure, Director William K. Marshall III has made it clear: leadership must be visible, accountable, and responsive. From walking the compounds to talking directly with frontline staff and inmates, Director Marshall has stayed true to his word—delivering results rooted in what he learns during those face-to-face conversations.
The Bureau of Prisons’ latest initiative, the FSA Task Force, is a direct outcome of that leadership style.
As Director Marshall traveled to institutions across the country, a pattern emerged. Inmates voiced frustration that their paperwork for home confinement under the First Step Act (FSA) wasn’t being processed by staff despite Director Marshall’s directive to maximize the use of community placement. But at the same time, the staff told a very different side of the story.
"The staff told me the systems they rely on weren’t always showing the right dates," said Director Marshall. "The majority of staff were doing their best with the information they had, but, unfortunately, they were taking the blame from inmates and families who thought they were dragging their feet. That wasn’t fair to them."
In response, Director Marshall mobilized a solution: a dedicated task force at the Designation and Sentence Computation Center (DSCC) to assist the Bureau’s Residential Reentry Management (RRM) offices by manually identifying and correcting community placement dates. This effort will alleviate pressure on institution staff while ensuring that eligible inmates are transferred to community confinement as soon as possible.
"We’re giving our staff the backup they need and the accurate data they deserve," Director Marshall said. "They shouldn’t have to answer for delays that were outside their control; and thanks to President Trump’s leadership and the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, we will be able to provide the right tools and information the staff need to do their jobs. But let me be clear—while most of our staff are committed professionals working in good faith, we know there are a small number who do not meet that standard. If they ignored their responsibilities or failed to act with integrity, we will find out and we will take action. Accountability goes both ways."
The task force will:
- Identify individuals currently in Residential Reentry Centers (RRCs) who are eligible for home confinement;
- Manually calculate home confinement placement dates which "stacks" both the FSA and Second Chance Act (SCA);
- Relay those dates to RRM offices to accelerate transitions and free up RRC bed space;
- Review eligible incarcerated individuals inside institutions for additional community placement opportunities.
Rick Stover, Senior Deputy Assistant Director at DSCC, underscored the importance of the initiative: "We know staff and inmates are frustrated and confused with the complexities of FSA time credit calculations, and we hear them loud and clear. Under Director Marshall’s guidance, we are making improvements aimed at simplifying FSA. The Director has made it clear that home confinement use should be maximized. While the time credit application program is being updated to calculate conditional home confinement placement dates, we are going to jump on this issue NOW with a specialized team at the DSCC. We are confident this will result in more individuals on home confinement for longer periods of time. This will benefit both staff and inmates."
The move aligns with the broader mission of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which Director Marshall has called a "historic and long-overdue investment in public safety and infrastructure." It also reinforces his "Leadership in Action" philosophy - one rooted in listening first, then acting fast.
"Leadership is about showing up, listening, and doing something about what you hear," said Director Marshall. "That’s how we’re building trust; not just with the public, but within our staff. When the majority of our employees are supported and empowered, our entire system runs better. And where misconduct exists, we will root it out. That’s the Bureau of Prisons I’m committed to building."