Durbin calls for Garland to remove federal prisons director

By MICHAEL BALSAMO
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee is demanding Attorney General Merrick Garland immediately fire the director of the beleaguered federal Bureau of Prisons. Sen. Dick Durbin’s demand on Tuesday comes two days after an Associated Press investigation detailing serious misconduct involving correctional officers. More than 100 Bureau of Prisons workers have been arrested, convicted or sentenced for crimes since the start of 2019. The AP investigation also found the agency has turned a blind eye to employees accused of misconduct and has failed to suspend officers who themselves had been arrested for crimes. Durbin took particular aim at Director Michael Carvajal, who has been at the center of the agency’s myriad crises.