Violent crime is falling — now is the wrong time to cut federal prison funding

The views expressed by contributors are their own and not the view of The Hill

Editor’s note: This story was updated to correct recidivism rate percentages. We regret the error.

Here is good news we don’t hear every day: Violent crime is falling nationwide, with murders on track to be the lowest since 1900. Credit goes to police officers on the street keeping our communities safe, as well as those working in federal prisons helping prepare people for successful reentry.

But a proposed budget cut is threatening to undo this progress. If it passes, Americans will be less safe.

Once among the nation’s worst-performing corrections systems, the Bureau of Prisons is reversing decades of neglect. Bureau of Prison Director William Marshall III and Deputy Director Josh Smith implemented initiatives to stop contraband, increase security and cut recidivism. Meanwhile, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act is funding billions in long-ignored facility repairs. The result has been a more effective federal prison system, which has translated into safer streets.

Unfortunately, some in Congress want to cut the bureau’s budget to $293 million below 2025 levels and $422 million below President Trump’s request. Because most of that funding supports staff and prison operations, the cuts would fall hardest on the front-line professionals who have helped make communities safer.

Officer recruiting and retention have long been issues for the bureau. The pay is low, and the job is tough. In fact, the average life expectancy of a correctional officer is 59 years old, largely due to the stress of the job.

According to the American Federation of Government Employees, the federal corrections officer corps is down by 40 percent from its high of 20,000 a decade ago. With the current vacancy rate at 24 percent, the Bureau of Prisons faces a staffing crisis.

Against this backdrop, Immigration and Customs Enforcement is offering signing bonuses of up to $50,000, an attractive proposition for current or would-be corrections officers, making the recruitment and retention challenges worse.

With more people leaving, mandatory overtime has increased by 43 percent, resulting in officer burnout and even greater staffing shortages. A possible budget cut for the agency would intensify this vicious cycle, making public safety a casualty.

Ironically, many proponents in Congress have called for the bureau to raise salaries and retention incentives. The agency already has the authority to do so, but without funding to back it up, that authority becomes meaningless.

The consequences of these cuts extend beyond prison walls. Ninety-seven percent of those behind bars will eventually return to their communities. That is why rehabilitation is a core part of the Bureau of Prison’s mission — effective rehabilitation helps ensure they return as productive citizens rather than repeat offenders.

Every instance of reoffending means another victim, another court case and likely, another expensive prison cell. Reducing recidivism is one of the most cost-effective ways to protect communities.

Historically, the bureau has lagged behind other correctional systems in reducing the re-offense rate. A 2018 Justice Department report found that of all federal prisoners who are released, 68 percent were rearrested within three years. In contrast, state correction systems show much better rates are possible: Virginia’s recidivism rate is 18 percent, and Oklahoma’s hovers around 20 percent.

To address this consequential failure rate, President Trump signed the First Step Act into law in 2018, which required the Bureau of Prisons to put greater priority on reducing recidivism. It increased the number of programs proven to cut reoffending, ranging from drug and alcohol treatment to job training to mental health treatment.

It made a difference. According to the Council on Criminal Justice, the bureau’s general recidivism rate has fallen to 45 percent. And for those who had access to First Step Act programming, that number dropped to 10 percent.

But here’s the catch: Corrections officers play a crucial role in reducing recidivism. When staffing shortages force wardens to choose between security and rehabilitation, security comes first and rehabilitation programs get suspended. A budget cut will mean the loss of more staff, stalling the agency’s recidivism reduction work even more and increasing crime down the road.

Fiscal discipline is necessary in an era of trillion-dollar budget deficits. But cutting the Bureau of Prisons’ budget is not the place to start. It will accelerate staffing crises and undercut crime control.

President Trump appointed leaders who’ve rejected the status quo and brought about a new vision for improving corrections to make our communities safer. Now Congress must ensure they have the resources to make that vision a reality.

David Safavian is an attorney and the chief operating officer of Unify.us. Justin Keener is the president of Americans for Public Safety.