Josh Smith abruptly departs as deputy director of Bureau of Prisons

Joshua J. Smith, the first formerly incarcerated individual to serve as Deputy Director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons, has abruptly resigned after a turbulent year-long tenure. Appointed in June 2025 after receiving a 2021 pardon from President Donald J. Trump, Smith spearheaded aggressive overhauls, replacing 70% of executive staff and terminating the union's master collective bargaining agreement. However, his tenure faced intense backlash from union officials who accused him of undermining staff, alongside mounting questions over consulting contracts and controversial prison visits by reality star Todd Chrisley.

Josh Smith resignation

• ▪Following his resignation, Joshua J. Smith announced plans to return to Tennessee and rejoin the Fourth Purpose Foundation, a nonprofit organization he founded.
• ▪Federal Bureau of Prisons Director William K. Marshall III formally announced Joshua J. Smith's departure in a brief statement to staff on August 25, 2026.
• ▪Joshua J. Smith abruptly resigned as the Deputy Director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons on August 24, 2026, without providing a reason for his departure.

Presidential pardon history

• ▪Joshua J. Smith served a five-year sentence in a Federal Bureau of Prisons camp in Kentucky following his 1998 drug conviction.
• ▪Joshua J. Smith was appointed Deputy Director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons in June 2025, becoming the first formerly incarcerated individual to hold that senior leadership position.
• ▪President Donald J. Trump granted Joshua J. Smith a full presidential pardon in January 2021 for a 1998 federal drug conspiracy conviction.

BOP leadership overhaul

• ▪Joshua J. Smith launched the National Resource Team initiative to deploy teams into federal institutions to evaluate staffing, training, morale, and operations.
• ▪During his tenure, Joshua J. Smith helped replace approximately 70% of the Federal Bureau of Prisons' executive staff, including several top wardens.
• ▪The Federal Bureau of Prisons altered its warden selection process to incorporate outside expertise and objective evaluations of candidates' crisis leadership abilities.

Union agreement termination

• ▪Union officials criticized Joshua J. Smith's policies, alleging that his actions undermined staff, prioritized prisoners' needs, and created a toxic work environment.
• ▪Following the termination of the union agreement, the Federal Bureau of Prisons updated 37 policies in 90 days during March 2026.
• ▪The Federal Bureau of Prisons terminated its master collective bargaining agreement with the Council of Prison Locals following a presidential executive order.

Contract ethics concerns

• ▪Joshua J. Smith denied having any role in Federal Bureau of Prisons contracting and stated he disclosed his media company's documentary project when Precythe Sturm Advisory Group was retained.
• ▪The Federal Bureau of Prisons partnered with Precythe Sturm Advisory Group on a $183,400 warden-hiring contract while Joshua J. Smith's media company filmed a documentary about the firm's founder, Anne Precythe.

Todd Chrisley prison visits

• ▪Todd Chrisley claimed on his podcast that he reported Federal Bureau of Prisons staff misconduct directly to Joshua J. Smith to seek employee terminations.
• ▪Federal Bureau of Prisons leadership permitted reality television star Todd Chrisley to visit multiple correctional facilities in the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic regions.
• ▪Joshua J. Smith stated he did not facilitate Todd Chrisley's prison visits and had never appeared as a guest on Chrisley's podcast.