The acting head of the federal department managing US prisons left office following the scandalous death of Jeffery Epstein, the key figure in a high-profile underage sex trafficking case, which is believed to have been a suicide.
US Attorney General William Barr appointed Kathleen Hawk Sawyer to be the new director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons on 19 August following the resignation of Acting Director Hugh Hurwitz, the Justice Department reported. Sawyer has held the position in the past, having served at the post between 1992 and 2003, focusing her efforts on reducing recidivism and improving prisoners’ opportunities after the end of their terms. She was awarded the Edmund Randolph Award for outstanding service in the Department of Justice in 2001.