Last week, the Federal Bureau of Prisons posted a video of Deputy Director Josh Smith vowing to “make the BOP great again.” The seven-minute clip echoes the promises of change agency leaders have repeated in video announcements for months as the BOP struggles with a staffing crisis and budget shortfalls.

As a reporter covering the federal prison system, I want to know: How’s that going?

It has been a chaotic year in the Bureau of Prisons. The same day Trump took office, the agency director was fired. Then, bonuses were canceled.........

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