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Trump-Pardoned Ex-Inmate Joshua J. Smith Appointed Deputy Director of Bureau of Prisons

His lived experience is expected to inform reforms at a bureau struggling with chronic staffing gaps alongside persistent violence in federal prisons.

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Entrepreneur and national prison reform advocate Josh Smith speaks at a ribbon cutting event for Men of Valor's Dogan-Gaither Flats in Knoxville, Tenn., on Sept. 19, 2022.

Overview

  • He was convicted in 1997 of conspiracy to distribute marijuana and cocaine, served 60 months at FCI Manchester in Kentucky, and subsequently completed five years of supervised release.
  • After his 2003 release, Smith founded Fourth Purpose, a nonprofit dedicated to inmate advocacy and business education behind bars.
  • His pardon request received backing from Tennessee Governor Bill Lee and highlighted over two decades of community mentorship and faith-based outreach.
  • Smith will be the first formerly incarcerated individual to hold an employee position at any level within the bureau’s 35,000-strong workforce.
  • Director William K. Marshall III praised Smith’s perspective as uniquely suited to champion resource allocation and policy reforms in a system plagued by cronyism allegations, staffing shortages and misconduct.