AG Barr Replaces Prisons Director in Wake of Jeffrey Epstein’s Death

Acting Director of the Bureau of Prisons Hugh Hurwitz speaks during a news conference at the Justice Department in Washington on July 19, 2019. Susan Walsh/AP Photo

Attorney General William Barr announced on Aug. 19 that the acting director of the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) has been reassigned, a week after disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein was found unresponsive in his federal prison cell.

Hugh Hurwitz, who served as the prisons chief for the last 15 months, has been asked to return to his role as Assistant Director of BOP’s Reentry Services Division where he will oversee the implementation of the First Step Act, the attorney general said in a statement. The statement did not give a specific reason for the reassignment.