How prison staffing shortages are driving away mental health staff

Summary

Episode Overview

Podcast: Consider This from NPR
Episode Title: How prison staffing shortages are driving away mental health staff
Date: February 25, 2026
Host: Juana Summers

This episode examines the cascading crisis in the Federal Bureau of Prisons caused by severe staffing shortages. The focus is on how these shortages are not only affecting correctional officers, but are also pushing mental health professionals out of the system. With mental health workers being required to cover security roles, it’s becoming harder to maintain adequate psychological care for incarcerated individuals—raising concerns for both staff and prisoner wellbeing.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. State of Federal Prisons & Staffing Crisis

• Historic Perspective

  • Federal prisons have faced chronic crises over the years, particularly related to staff shortages.
    • "We have a system on the brink of failure." — NPR Announcer quoting John Wetzel, former Pennsylvania Secretary of Corrections (00:05)
  • The system’s workforce is thousands below its mandated strength.
    • "The Bureau is currently operating with thousands of vacancies, including nearly 6,000 fewer staff than its authorized level." — Rep. Jeff Van Drew (00:37)

• Ripple Effect on All Staff

  • Because of the shortage in correctional officers, other prison staff—including nurses, teachers, and psychologists—are being reassigned as guards.
    • "Having staff like prison teachers, cooks, nurses, and monitors being forced to serve as correctional officers... is absolutely ridiculous." — Rep. Jack Crockett (01:03)
    • "Chronic understaffing and rising inmate numbers have created an increasingly unsafe environment for everyone." — Rep. Jeff Van Drew (01:18)

2. Mental Health Staff in Crisis

• Job Scope and Importance

  • Psychologists play critical roles: clinical treatment, reentry planning, violence prevention, workplace conflict resolution, and supporting family connections.
    • "They are reentry professionals... working to help people plan for their reentry... they're involved in staffing, workplace conflict issues, violence prevention. That's a lot more than just treating symptoms of mental illness." — Alex McLaren (05:17)

• Impact of Shortages on Mental Health Services

  • Reduced mental health staff leads to:
    • Destabilized patients not getting support
    • Higher risk of self-harm or violence, impacting the whole facility
    • "You're creating crises, because what the psychologists are doing are transforming any risk... into some kind of actionable steps towards safety." — Alex McLaren (06:04)

• Recruitment Pipeline Disruption

  • BOP once had a robust internship pipeline—the “gold standard” for correctional psychologists.
  • In 2025, BOP withdrew from the internship match program, impacting long-term recruitment.
    • "That pipeline... bringing in psychologists. Last year, the Bureau of Prisons withdrew from the match. That harm is going to be there for years to come." — Alex McLaren (04:23)

3. Root Causes of Staffing Woes

• Workforce Morale and Institutional Instability
  • Federal Bureau of Prisons rated lowest in federal agency employee satisfaction.
    • "It was ranked the worst place to work in federal government twice in a row in the last few years. There's been unstable leadership." — Alex McLaren (06:55)
  • Loss of the internship pipeline further undermines recruitment and morale.
• Poor Pay and Unattractive Working Conditions
  • Correctional psychologists get lower pay than private sector or other government agencies, despite high-stress responsibilities.
    • "They're getting lower pay not only than some other government agencies, but than folks in the private sector. That's not very appealing when you stack all of that up." — Alex McLaren (07:38)
  • All staff are considered correctional workers first, meaning law enforcement duties can supersede clinical work.

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the System’s Precipitous Decline:

  • "The Bureau of Prisons was once considered... as the gold standard, as the system that every other system was striving to be like. Contrast that to... where they are now, where it is staffing crisis." — Alex McLaren (03:44)

• On the Domino Effect of Shortages:

  • "When you don't prioritize the hiring of psychologists, you're creating crises..." — Alex McLaren (06:04)

• On Work Environment & Retention:

  • "You almost have to look at it through a funnel. Under this administration, government workers feel under attack... unstable leadership... people who have been or would be BOP psychologists..." — Alex McLaren (06:55)

---

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:00–01:44 — The scope of prison staffing shortages and impacts on safety
• 02:52–03:28 — Introduction of guest Alex McLaren, background and initial context
• 03:44–05:08 — McLaren’s perspective on changes in BOP over 20 years
• 05:08–05:56 — Role and importance of correctional psychologists
• 06:04–06:45 — Consequences of under-staffed psychology departments
• 06:55–07:53 — Root causes: morale, recruitment, pay, and working conditions
• 08:03 — Bureau of Prisons’ response and steps for improvement

---

Bureau of Prisons' Response

• The BOP acknowledged the ongoing crisis but framed the issue as inherited.
  • "This administration did not create the staffing crisis, but is confronting it directly... The Bureau is taking steps to stabilize and strengthen mental health services across its institutions." — BOP Statement (08:03)

---

Conclusion

This episode paints a stark picture of how deeply staffing shortages in federal prisons have compromised correctional environments, with especially alarming consequences for mental health service provision. Once a model for the nation, the BOP now struggles to recruit, retain, and support its vital mental health workforce, threatening both staff wellbeing and prisoner outcomes.

---

Listen if you want to understand:

• The downstream effects of understaffing in federal prisons
• Why mental health professionals are exiting the field
• The challenges to recruitment and retention in correctional psychological services
• The urgent need for systemic change to protect both inmates and staff

---

Produced by: Jason Fuller and Karen Zamora
Audio engineering: Ted Niebain
Editing: Jeanette Woods and Courtney Dorning
Executive producer: Sami Hennigan

Transcript

[Juana Summers]

Federal prisons have been in crisis for years, and that fact has been documented over and over.

[NPR Announcer]

We have a system on the brink of failure.

[Juana Summers]

That's John Wetzel back in February 2024. He's the former Pennsylvania secretary of Corrections, and he was testifying to Congress about understaffing at correctional facilities. Fast forward to May 2025.

[Jeff Van Drew]

So let me be blunt. The Bureau of Prisons is not a system in need of some minor improvements. It is in need of a true reckoning.

[Juana Summers]

That's Republican Congressman Jeff Van Drew of New Jersey at a different congressional hearing.

[Jeff Van Drew]

The bureau is currently operating with thousands of vacancies, including nearly 6,000 fewer staff than its authorized level. This is not sustainable to go in this direction.

[Juana Summers]

The shortages are so severe that there are not enough correctional officers to respond to crises. Here's Democratic Congresswoman Jack Crockett of Texas, also speaking in 2025. Having staff like prison teachers, cooks, nurses and monitors being forced to serve as correctional officers because BOP has too few officers to actually do the job is absolutely ridiculous. Congressman Jeff Van Drew put it more bluntly.

[Jeff Van Drew]

Chronic understaffing and rising inmate numbers have created an increasingly unsafe environment for everyone

[Juana Summers]

on the inside, including psychologists. Consider this. Prison mental health staff are being asked to step in as guards, and it is making them leave their jobs. From npr, I'm Juana Summers.

[Commercial Narrator]

This message comes from Jerry. Many people overpay for car insurance because switching feels like too much hassle. That's why there's Jerry, your proactive insurance assistant. Jerry compares rates side by side from over 50 top insurers and helps you switch with ease. Jerry even tracks market rates and alerts you when it's best to shop. No spam calls or hidden fees. Drivers who save with Jeri could save over $1,300 a year. Switch with confidence. Download the Jerry app or visit Jerry AI, NPR Today. This message comes from Mint mobile. Starting at $15 a month, make the [e-mail] Switch $45 upfront Pay months 5 gigabyte Plan equivalent to $15 a month Taxes and fees Extra first 3 months Only see terms. This message comes from Intuit TurboTax with TurboTax Expert Full Service Match with a dedicated expert who will do your taxes for you from start to finish, getting you every dollar you deserve. It's that easy. Visit turbotax.com to match with an expert. Today,

[Juana Summers]

foreign. Correctional officers are leaving their jobs at federal prisons. And when these prisons are understaffed, psychologists and other staff are asked to act as guards. And recent reporting from the Marshall Project says it's pushing mental health professionals out of prisons. Here to talk about it is Alex McLaren. She was the acting director for the National Institute of Corrections, which is housed under the Bureau of Prisons. She also worked as a federal prison psychologist. Hi there.

[Alex McLaren]

Thank you so much for having me.

[Juana Summers]

Thanks for being here. So, Alex, as I understand it, you joined the Bureau of prisons back in 2003 and then retired in 2024. When you think back to the start of your time there, what were staff levels and morale like for psychologists?

[Alex McLaren]

So the Bureau of Prisons was once considered not just by me or those who worked there, but by. By correctional workers and correctional psychologists around the country as the gold standard, as the system that every other system was striving to be like. And when I hired on, it was such an incredible honor. BOP had a robust internship program, and that was the pipeline in for psychologists. But the conversations really were not about understaffing. They were about improving services and the science of corrections starting to grow and how we were going to implement reentry services that were starting to be discussed as we really pivoted as a nation more to rehabilitation and what we did with people during their incarceration. Contrast that to where the agency got, you know, over the last two decades and where they are now, where it is staffing crisis, as you mentioned, and that internship pipeline that I mentioned, bringing in psychologists. Last year, the Bureau of Prisons withdrew from the match. That brings you the cream of the crop in psychology. So that harm is going to be there for years to come.

[Juana Summers]

Alex, this may be a bit of a basic question, but I'm hoping you can just spell it out for us. In your view, why are psychologists so important within the federal prison system?

[Alex McLaren]

Psychologists in the Bureau of Prisons do so many things. They are reentry professionals. So not only are they doing what you would traditionally think of a psychologist doing in clinical work, treating depression or bipolar disorder, but they're working to help people plan for their reentry. They may be helping people to engage with their family because that community connectivity is so important. They're involved in staffing and workplace place, conflict issues, violence prevention. That's a lot more than just treating symptoms of mental illness.

[Juana Summers]

So then, when there aren't enough psychologists working at a prison, what kind of problems can that create? Can you give us one or two examples?

[Alex McLaren]

Sure. When you don't prioritize the hiring of psychologists, you're creating crises, because what the psychologists are doing are transforming any risk that arrives into some kind of actionable steps towards safety. So you will have people that have a mental illness that may be destabilized and they're not getting the support that they require to refrain from self harm, to refrain from violence. Those things don't just impact them, but they impact the entire community of the facility, the staff and the people who are incarcerated there.

[Juana Summers]

I mean, I know that in any institution there are often a lot of reasons that contribute to staffing shortages. But when we talk about the Bureau of Prisons, what do you think is the most significant reason for this?

[Alex McLaren]

You know, you almost have to look at it through a funnel. Under this administration, government workers feel under attack. You look at BOP specifically. It was ranked the worst place to work in federal government twice in a row in the last few years. There's been unstable leadership. All of those things are then feeding into people who have been or would be BOP psychologists. I mentioned that BOP withdrew from the internship program, which is how it gets, I think about 80 positions every year. Those are your newest, freshest skilled people and they're the backbone of your recruitment. Psychologists, like everyone that works there, are considered correctional workers first, which means that they don't do serve law enforcement functions. They're on call, but they're getting lower pay not only than some other government agencies, but than folks in the private sector. That's not very appealing when you stack all of that up.

[Juana Summers]

Alex McLaren worked in the Federal Bureau of Prisons as a psychologist and as the acting director for the National Institute of Corrections. Alex, thank you.

[Alex McLaren]

Thank you so much.

[Juana Summers]

We reached out to the Federal Bureau of Prisons for comment. They responded with an email stating that improving mental health services was a top priority and detailing some of the key actions being undertaken. The email read in part, this administration did not create the staffing crisis, but it's confronting it directly. Through targeted investment, workforce modernization and operational innovation, the Bureau is taking steps to stabilize and strengthen mental health services across its institutions. This episode was produced by Jason Fuller and Karen Zamora with audio engineering by Ted Niebain. It was edited by Jeanette woods and Courtney Dorning. Our executive producer is Sami Hennigan. It's consider this from npr. I'm Juana Summers.

[NPR Announcer]

This message comes from Mattress Firm. Waking up stiff or sore. Mattress Firm sleep experts can match you with a Tempur Pedic Adapt mattress designed to relieve pressure for deeper rest. For the great sleep you deserve, visit Mattress Firm. They make sleep easy. This message comes from vanta. What's your 2am Security worry? Is it do I have the right controls in place or are my vendors secure? Enter Vanta Vanta automates manual work so you can stop sweating over spreadsheets, chasing audit evidence, and filling out endless questionnaires. Their trust management platform continuously monitors your systems, centralizes your data, and simplifies your security at scale. Get [e-mail] that's V A N T A dot com support for NPR and the following message come from Washington Wise decisions made in Washington can affect your portfolio every day. Washington Wise, from Charles Schwab, is an original podcast that unpacks the stories making news in Washington. [e-mail] WashingtonWise.