Describe the eight service divisions of the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP).

Question

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Answer 1

The eight divisions of the Federal Bureau of Prisons are as follows: (1) The Administrative Division; (2) the Correctional Programs Division; (3) the Health Services Division; (4) the Human Resource Management Division; (5) the Industries, Educational, and Vocational Training Division; (6) the Information, Policy, and Public Affairs Division; (7) the Office of General Counsel; and (8) the Program Review Division. The Administration Division is responsible for the BOP’s financial and facility management. This division is responsible for budget development and execution, finance, procurement and property, and the inmate trust fund program. The Correctional Programs Division ensures that national policies and procedures are in place that provide a safe, secure institutional environment for inmates and staff and encourages inmate activities and programs designed to eliminate idleness and instill a positive work ethic. The Health Services Division is responsible for medical, dental, and mental health (psychiatric) services provided to federal inmates in BOP facilities, including health care delivery, infectious disease management, and medical designations. The Human Resource Management Division coordinates the BOP’s personnel matters, including pay and leave administration, incentive awards, retirement, work-life programs, background investigations, adverse and disciplinary actions, and performance evaluations. The Industries, Education, and Vocational Training (IE&VT) Division is responsible for education and vocational training programs within the BOP. Each federal prison has its own education department that provides educational activities to federal inmates. This division manages literacy and occupational training programs, parenting programs, and adult continuing education activities, which are formal instructional classes designed to increase inmates’ general knowledge in a wide variety of subjects, such as writing and math. Last, this division also oversees Federal Prison Industries (FPI), one of the most important correctional programs operated by the BOP. Created by federal statute in 1934, it operates as a wholly owned, self-sustaining government corporation under the trade name UNICOR. The Information, Policy, and Public Affairs (IPPA) Division collects, develops, and shares useful, accurate, and timely information to BOP staff, the Department of Justice, Congress, other government agencies, and the public. The Office of General Counsel represents the BOP on a broad range of legal, policy, and management issues. The primary responsibility of the regional legal offices is to provide litigation support for inmate litigation arising out of the prisons located within the region, and to provide legal advice to regional office and prison administrators. The Program Review Division (PRD) was created in 1988 to establish a self-monitoring system that provides oversight of BOP program performance and compliance. Oversight involves monitoring specific program areas, conducting risk assessments for the purpose of creating review guidelines, and analyzing program performance trends and other data to achieve continuous program improvement. This division conducts reviews of all BOP programs.