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There are more than turkeys being pardoned this holiday season. Joe Biden made news by announcing a presidential pardon for his son Hunter Biden who faced two separate federal criminal charges. The pardon means Hunter Biden will not be sentenced for his crimes, and it eliminates any chance that he will be sent to prison. The judges overseeing his cases will likely cancel the sentencing hearings, which were slated for December 12 in the gun case and December 16 in the tax case.

Creativity, gratitude, and fellowship were in abundance in New Orleans, LA this Thanksgiving. With a commitment to social and criminal justice reform, one of our world’s most creative individuals reached across one of the world’s most creative cultures to bridge two wildly disparate landscapes — a prison and a music club.

Looking back at past management challenges for the Department of Justice you will find an Office of Inspector General (OIG) reportthat lists the Federal Bureau of Prisons as an area of concern. Chief among those concerns are crumbling infrastructure and under-staffed facilities. The latest OIG report lists the challenges for DOJ and again there is no surprise that the BOP is there with the usual problems. In fact, Inspector General Michael Horowitz stated in the report that over the past 20 years, the OIG has issued over 100 reports detailing these serious systemic issues facing the BOP. His conclusion was that “among the many challenges facing the BOP is its persistent inability to address staffing shortages in key positions, lack of sufficient funding to repair its crumbling infrastructure, and the introduction of contraband at its prisons.” However, BOP Director Colette Peters thinks such reports do not tell the whole story and agreed to a sit-down interview with me to address the report and provide a bit more context as to how the Agency is pushing forward.