A source within the U.S. Bureau of Prisons (BOP) has come forward with a series of internal documents outlining a controversial proposal to reclassify several major offenses, which is now under review by union leaders.

The new policy would classify  reclassify child exploitation offenses from “high severity” to “low severity,” terrorism-related offenses for female inmates as “low security,” and animal cruelty as a “low-moderate” offense.

The changes are part of a draft update to the Security Designation and Custody Classification Manual, signed by BOP Director Colette S. Peters. The memo outlining these changes, dated January 6, 2025, was sent by Christopher Wade, Chief Labor Relations Officer, to Jennifer Hinton, Labor Relations Specialist.

The proposal is now being reviewed by union representatives who are soliciting feedback from members. However, unless the union intervenes, the BOP has the authority to implement the policy changes without further approval.

These proposed changes are connected to the five-year labor agreement signed in July 2021, which is set to expire in 2026. Additionally, the adjustments reflect the ongoing impact of President Biden’s 2022 executive order, which mandated the transfer of all inmates to federal facilities following the abolition of private prisons. This means the new policy would apply to all federal prisons across the country.

The source who provided these internal BOP documents went on to disclose further concerning details about the agency’s internal struggles stating, “I can say with absolute certainty that the BOP is an agency in an existential crisis,” emphasizing concern for the agency’s effectiveness and future direction.

Stay tuned as Citizen Journalism Foundation furthers this investigation.