A system meant to reduce prison recidivism can’t do its job if the inputs are wrong
A system meant to reduce prison recidivism can’t do its job if the inputs are wrong  
Podcast: The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton
Published On: Wed Feb 11 2026
Description: GAO found the Bureau of Prisons struggling with timely assessments and unreliable program data, making it harder to know whether incarcerated people are getting the programming the First Step Act requires. Add in delays applying earned time credits, and the whole recidivism‑reduction strategy wobbles. GAO’s Gretta Goodwin joins me to talk about the risks and the fixes.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.