My Interview with Dr. John M. Vanyur
...reau of Prisons Central Office. During my telephone interview with Dr. Vanyur, I asked him a few general questions in which he tried to answer to the best of his ability. Dr. Vanyur did inform me of the same thing my father had mentioned to me, “due to issues of confidentiality, Bureau employees are limited to what information and how much information they can give out…” Despite this, Dr. Vanyur was very cooperative and gave me some good information. Dr. Vanyur began by telling me a little bit about his background. Dr. Vanyur said that he received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Scantron; and he received both his masters and doctorate degrees in psychology from the University of Maryland at College Park. Dr. Vanyur has had a career with the United States Department of Justice for twenty-four years. Dr. Vanyur said that he has had the opportunity of holding a number of leadership positions, such as: Warden of the Federal Detention Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Warden of the Low Security Correctional Institution in Butner, North Carolina; Associate Warden of the Administrative Maximum Penitentiary in Florence, Colorado; Deputy Assistant Director for Human Resources; and agency Personal Director. When I asked Dr. Vanyur what the purpose was for the Correctional Programs Division, he replied by saying that it “ensures that national policies and procedures are in place that will provide a safe, secure institutional environment for inmates and staff.” The Correctional Programs Division also “encourages inmate activities and programs that are designed to eliminate idleness and instill a positive work ethic.” Dr. Vanyur also told me that leadership and policy of the Division is directed into several different branches, which are the Correctional Services Branch; Correctional Programs Branch; Psychology Services Branch; Religious Services Branch; Inmate Systems Management Branch; and Special Needs Offenders Branch. When I asked him what the responsibilities were for each area, he referred me to the Bureau’s website, http://www.bop.gov. Dr. Vanyur said that the website would describe each one of the area’s functions. I had the opportunity to search the website for information regarding the different Branches associated with the Correctional Programs Division. The responsibility of the Correctional Services Branch is to deal with “security and custody issues.” Correctional Services functions as an Intelligence Section, which develops policy regarding investigative and intelligence activities, training, security alerts, advisories, etcetera. The Correctional Services Branch also functions as an Emergency Preparedness, which will provide support to the field and Central Office in the event of a crisis. “Armory and Lock shop” is another function of Correctional Services. Armory and Lock shop provides “support, oversight, and guidance” for the development and training of Security Officers. Correctional Services is also involved with issues pertaining to inmate discipline, which circulates through the “development and monitoring of policies and procedures” in order to ensure that inmates may live in a “safe and orderly environment” (http://www.bop.gov). The Correctional Programs Branch of the Correctional Programs Division is responsible for “planning, documenting, monitoring, and providing delivery of services to inmates.” Correctional Programs make sure that inmates have the necessary requirements for their security and custody. The Correctional Programs Branch also oversees pre-release planning for the “successful reintegration” of inmates back into society (http://www.bop.gov). The psychology Services Branch is responsible for the “development, coordination, and monitoring of Psychology Treatment Programs in the Bureau.” A variety of obstacles within psychological and behavioral problems are addressed by the Psychology Treatment Programs Branch. It works diligently on helping inmates adjust during their period of incarceration, treat mental disorders, and help prepare inmates for “successful re-entry” into society (http://www.bop.gov). The Religious Services Branch directs religious services offered by the Bureau of Prisons. Inmates of “all faith groups” have the ability to pursue their religious beliefs and practices. Each institution has Chaplains, which are there to supply care towards inmates as well as staff. Chaplains are expected to meet the needs of each individual faith groups. The Inmate Systems Management Branch of the Correctional Programs Division performs “policy development” that relates to punishment comp...