Federal Prisons Accountability Act of 2025

This bill changes how the Director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons is chosen. Instead of being picked by the Attorney General, the director would be appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate. The job would be limited to one 10-year term. The current director could stay up to three months after the law takes effect, and the President could reappoint that person under the new process.

The bill says the Bureau of Prisons is a large and costly agency—running 122 facilities, caring for more than 155,000 people, employing over 35,000 staff, and spending over $8.39 billion in 2024—so it aims to add more oversight and accountability at the top.

• Who is affected: Bureau of Prisons leadership, federal prison staff and inmates, the President, and the Senate.
• What changes: The director must be appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate; limited to a single 10-year term.
• When: Applies to appointments made after the law is enacted; the current director may serve up to three months after enactment and could be reappointed under the new rules.