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Witnesses urge full implementation of First Step Act and easier access for community and faith-based programs
Summary
At a May 5 oversight hearing, witnesses urged Congress and the Bureau of Prisons to accelerate implementation of the First Step Act, expand evidence-based recidivism reduction programming, and reduce undue vetting barriers that keep volunteer and faith-based groups from operating inside federal facilities.
Members of the House Judiciary Committee and nonprofit witnesses told the subcommittee on May 5 that implementing and funding the First Step Act's recidivism-reduction programs should be a congressional priority and that Bureau of Prisons processes are excluding willing external partners.
Why it matters: The First Step Act conditions certain programmatic incentives and credits on access to evidence-based programming inside facilities; witnesses said limited programming and vetting hurdles mean fewer incarcerated people receive the interventions Congress intended.
Key testimony and evidence - Prison Fellowship and other groups described program results and capacity: Prison Fellowship cited a Texas study of its Prison Fellowship Academy showing a 53.8% reduction in recidivism among academy graduates in that state; the witness said their programming reaches hundreds of thousands of people nationwide through volunteer-led activities. - Home confinement/housing options: A witness quoted CARES Act experience and Justice Department guidance on home confinement, citing a 3.6% one-year recidivism rate for CARES-assigned people compared with 13% for others in one dataset; advocates said a meaningful portion of the BOP population is low or minimum risk and could be considered for alternatives to in‑facility housing under careful criteria. - Barriers to external partners: Witnesses said current BOP vetting processes for outside programs exceed statutory requirements and unintentionally exclude no-cost faith-based and community programs capable of expanding evidence-based offerings.
Recommendations - Full and funded implementation of the First Step Act and clearer, streamlined vetting for community and faith-based partners - Investment in training, leadership development and staff wellness to enable facilities to host and sustain programming - Continued oversight to ensure eligible incarcerated people receive program credits they have earned
Ending note - Witnesses from both faith-based and secular organizations framed program expansion as both a public safety strategy and a cost-effective method to reduce recidivism; members pressed the bureau and witnesses for concrete next steps to increase program access.
