Q&A: Seeking restoration

Josh Smith became deputy director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons in June, when he was appointed to the role by Director William K. Marshall III. Smith, 50, previously ran a reentry nonprofit for prison inmates and founded a multimillion-­dollar home repair and construction company whose employees included former convicts. As second in command of the BOP, Smith helps oversee the agency that manages and staffs federal prisons across the country. He’s also the first former inmate to work for the bureau—he entered federal prison at age 21 to serve five years for marijuana and cocaine trafficking. President Donald Trump pardoned Smith during his first term. Here are edited excerpts of our conversation.

What’s a change you want to see ­happen at the Bureau of Prisons? More partnerships with nonprofits and agencies throughout the country. We just met with one of the largest prison ministry nonprofits that has been trying to work with this agency for many years. When I sat down with them, as I’ve already done with multiple others in the last few weeks, I said, “We’re going to start with: The answer is yes. Now tell us what you’re ready to do inside this agency.”

You hope to encourage the work of those ministries? I think my job in this role is to just say “You’re welcome here” and then make sure that we move bureaucratic obstacles out of the way. It’s been exciting watching the looks on the faces of people who have tried for decades to do great things to support the staff and the inmates inside this agency, who finally get a seat at the table. Those resources don’t cost us money. We just have to work to get them in and support them.

Staff shortages and safety are pressing issues for the bureau. How are you helping your staff feel supported in your first weeks on the job? In a nationwide survey of all government employees, Bureau of Prisons staff ranked this agency as the worst place to work in all of government. Over my first five or six weeks, we were able to talk to many of the front-line staff about how we can do a better job of training and communicating with them.

Lack of stable family life is a problem for many inmates. I understand you had a similar experience? My mother was a single mom working to survive. I was in trouble as a very young kid without a fatherhood example. Then fast-forward, I was a young man on the street, 16 years old, doing all kinds of things I shouldn’t, and then sentenced to prison at age 21. I look back now as a father and see the importance of what that means. I think it gives me an appreciation of the challenges for those without a good father figure.

How did your conversion experience change how you saw the purpose of your time in prison? My conversion happened while I was in prison when I surrendered my life to the Lord. My faith is not just important to me, it’s everything to me. It’s the reason why I exist. It’s the reason why I’m in this role. It’s the reason why I celebrate 29 years of marriage this year, four children, and four grandchildren. It was those lessons and those principles that I learned throughout Scripture and through the many volunteers coming in to help support and teach that helped me transition through prison as a better person—somebody who looked to the Word of God.

Does the Bible speak to the purpose of prison and the criminal justice system? I think the Scriptures are very clear on discipline and the reason for that. The Bible talks about how we cast people away from us in the Church in the hopes of restoring them. Some people commit crimes that require them to be separated from society. But I think prison should be restorative for those who did not commit crimes that cost them the ability to live among society forever. The Bible explains how restoration and accountability both happen.

What’s the most pressing need for newly released prisoners? We talk a lot about what happens when somebody walks out the prison door, but reentry needs to start the day they enter the prison system. We try to rush inmates through different job trainings and skills once they get a few months away from release. Those things need to start on day one.

Will you encourage churches to play a larger role in reentry? We’re talking with the White House Faith Office about ways we can build major partnerships with churches that could sponsor prisons. With the right setup, churches can help our agency be transformational. The state of Texas allowed a church to go inside a state prison at no cost to the state and build a very large chapel. It has all the newest technology that can also be used for education. Why can’t that happen all across the country?

Would you say the United States has an over-incarceration problem? I don’t get caught up on that. I think the stats speak for themselves. I look at what difference we can make once the incarceration happens. How can we put more of a focus on restoration for those reentering society so they don’t just keep coming back? Right now, 45% of those getting out come back into our system within the first three years. That is not a sustainable number.

How would you change the public’s perception of corrections, if you could? It’s my hope and goal to help Congress and our general society see the importance of the role of corrections. It’s not enough just to say, Hey, we’re locking them up—we’re safe now. Over 97% are slated to come back to be our neighbors again. I believe that we should be extremely intentional on how we manage them while they’re in our care, to make sure that when they do become our neighbors again—when they are beside our families, our children, our grand­children—that they’re prepared for that.

What’s something positive about your job? I can’t even communicate how thankful I am to work for a president who has been so disruptive to government and has chosen leaders like our BOP director, our attorney general, and so many others who are going to challenge the status quo. I’m so thankful to watch how the gospel is spoken about and preached inside of our government and our White House Faith Office.

What’s something about you most people don’t know? I made a challenge to myself in prison to become an avid learner. I began to read books on real estate, the stock market, and flying an airplane. Now, fast-forward, I am blessed by God to be extremely wealthy, mostly because of real estate. I have my airplane pilot’s license as well as my helicopter pilot’s license.