A high-level source within the U.S. Bureau of Prisons has released a series of internal documents detailing a controversial proposal by the BOP to reclassify child exploitation offenses from "high severity" to "low severity." Additionally, the new policy would classify terrorism-related offenses for female inmates as “low security” and animal cruelty as a “low-moderate” offense.

These changes stem from a draft of the Security Designation and Custody Classification Manual, signed by BOP Director Colette S. Peters. The proposal, outlined in a memo dated January 6, 2025, from Christopher Wade, Chief Labor Relations Officer, to Jennifer Hinton, Labor Relations Specialist, is now under union review. Union leaders are soliciting feedback, but unless the union intervenes, the BOP has the authority to implement this policy unilaterally.

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.