What 'Correctional Excellence', Respect, and Integrity mean — how BOP core values relate to your loved one at FCI Williamsburg

“CORRECTIONAL EXCELLENCE We are correctional workers first, committed to the highest level of performance.”

“RESPECT We embrace diversity and recognize the value and dignity of staff, inmates, and the general public.”

“INTEGRITY We demonstrate uncompromising ethical conduct in all our actions.”

In plain terms,

“Respect,” as the BOP defines it here, is about recognizing “the value and dignity” of three groups at once: staff, inmates, and the general public. For you, that matters because it frames respect as something that should show up not only in how incarcerated people are treated, but also in how families and visitors are spoken to and handled. The inclusion of “embrace diversity” is also a broad signal: the BOP is saying it expects its culture to account for different backgrounds and identities. That’s still high-level language, though. It doesn’t automatically answer what communication will feel like at FCI Williamsburg or how problems will be handled when someone feels disrespected.

“Integrity” is the BOP’s way of putting ethics front and center: “uncompromising ethical conduct in all our actions.” For families, this is the value most tied to trust - whether rules are applied consistently, decisions are made for legitimate reasons, and staff actions match stated policy. At the same time, the statement is still a principle, not a case-by-case guarantee. It tells you what the agency says it stands for. It doesn’t, by itself, confirm how any particular decision at FCI Williamsburg will be made or how quickly concerns will be addressed.

Family Prompts

• ✓ What does “a typical day” look like in your housing unit, and what are the main expectations staff enforce?
• ✓ Have staff explained what programs, work assignments, or classes are available to you right now?
• ✓ When something changes (movement, schedule, access), are you told why and what the new expectation is?
• ✓ Do you get answers in writing anywhere (handbook, posted rules, unit notices), or is everything verbal?
• ✓ When you ask a question or raise a concern, do you feel you’re treated with basic dignity - even if the answer is “no”?
• ✓ Do rules seem to be applied the same way to everyone, or does it depend on who is working?
• ✓ If you feel you were treated unfairly, what’s the next step you’re told to take?
• ✓ For family interactions (calls, mail, visiting), what do staff say are the most common reasons things get delayed or denied?

These core values come from a BOP-published “State of the Bureau” document, and they’re best read as aspirational standards - how the agency describes what it’s trying to be. They’re not a substitute for written policy, and they don’t confirm how any one facility (including FCI Williamsburg) actually operates on a given day. If you’re trying to connect the values to your loved one’s real experience, use them as a framework for questions and observations - not as proof that a specific practice exists or that a certain outcome is guaranteed.