A historic shift is underway in federal corrections.
Josh Smith, once incarcerated in a federal prison, has just been appointed Deputy Director of the Bureau of Prisons (BOP). His story, from an inmate in the late ‘90s to a national leader in criminal justice reform, marks an unprecedented milestone. It is a powerful reminder that redemption is not just possible, it’s transformative. And now, lived experience will help lead one of the most complex systems in America.
Where Purpose Was Found
In the late 1990s, Josh entered the BOP system as a young man serving a federal sentence in Kentucky. He saw the system from the inside, its challenges, its blind spots, and its unrealized potential. While incarcerated, something began to shift. He found faith, discipline, and most importantly, he found a sense of purpose. For Josh, prison wasn’t just a consequence, it became a transformative experience.
When he was released in 2003, he walked out determined not to waste a second chance he had been given. He created a plan to stay out of the system. But that sense of purpose followed him. Reentry wasn’t easy, but it shaped his empathy. It helped him understand the barriers people face on the outside and planted the seed of a deeper mission.
That mission became crystal clear the first time he stepped back inside a prison, not as an inmate, but as a volunteer. In 2004, just one year after his release, Josh walked through the gates of a prison not because he had to, but because he chose to. He was reminded of where he came from. He knew he couldn’t turn back on those inside. That act set the tone for everything that followed. He’s been doing this work for over two decades, long before criminal justice reform became a trend or a talking point.
Finding his Voice in Reform
Josh’s first public stand for criminal justice reform wasn’t scripted or strategic. It was personal. He began speaking about the challenges of reentry and the need for second chances, first in small rooms, then in front of legislatures, eventually on national platforms. He believed then, and still does, that the voices of the formerly incarcerated are essential to driving meaningful change.
Master Dry: Building with Purpose
In the early 2000s, Josh founded Master Dry, a basement and foundation repair business. But to him, it was never just about concrete. It was about integrity, redemption, and leading by example. He built the company on the same values he found in prison: dignity, hard work, and belief in something bigger and better.
Master Dry’s mission was clear from day one, “To be a unique service company that radically serves its community.” Not just a slogan, but a reflection of Josh’s heart. Whether it be showing up for customers, creating opportunities for employees, or supporting local causes, the business became an extension of his belief that service and purpose go hand in hand.
Under his leadership, Master Dry grew into a multimillion-dollar company with nearly 200 employees. Then, when the time was right, he sold it, not to retire, but to free himself to chase a greater purpose.
Founding the Fourth Purpose Foundation
After his release from prison, Josh didn’t expect to one day lead a national nonprofit. But with a deep sense of purpose and gratitude for a second chance, he founded the Fourth Purpose Foundation (FPF) in 2019, a nonprofit dedicated to transforming prisons into places of purpose and personal growth. Josh believes in elevating what he calls the fourth purpose of prison: transformation.
What started as a personal calling quickly became a national movement. Under Josh’s leadership, FPF partnered with departments of corrections across the country, launching initiatives for both staff and incarcerated individuals. In 2024, we expanded that work with the launch of Prison Life Media, a national storytelling platform giving voice to staff and residents inside.
Perhaps most importantly, Josh made it a priority to support correctional staff. He understands that lasting culture change can’t happen without investing in the people doing the work every day. FPF has funded specialized training programs and leadership development for officers, administrators, and frontline teams. Josh has also developed strong relationships with some of the most respected correctional leaders in the country, including Commissioner Ricky Dixon (FL), Director Bryan Collier (TX, also a member of the FPF board), Former Director Anne Precythe (MO), and others. Leaders who are challenging the status quo and reimagining corrections from the inside out.
To highlight these efforts, Josh launched Disruptors, a national docu-series produced in partnership with forward-thinking corrections departments. The series profiles leaders who are prioritizing staff wellness, practical leadership, innovative programs for incarcerated individuals, and culture change. Offering a hopeful and solutions-driven view of corrections in America.
While Josh never set out to work in corrections, the work found him. He’s spent the last several years researching, listening, and building alongside those in the field to help corrections become a place where both staff and residents can thrive with purpose.
A Presidential Pardon & Housing Reform
In January 2021, Josh’s decades-long commitment to criminal-justice reform was formally recognized when President Trump granted him a full pardon, backed by Tennessee Governor Bill Lee, who had already asked Josh to serve on the state’s Criminal Justice Reinvestment Task Force.
The pardon lifted many of the civil barriers that trail a felony record, but not before Josh had felt their sting, “You know I was never able to rent an apartment even when I had wealth. I could buy an apartment complex but I couldn’t rent an apartment in one,” he said. That stark reality drove him deeper into re-entry work, especially housing.
Shortly after the pardon, Josh and the Fourth Purpose Foundation doubled down on practical solutions. Partnering with the faith-based nonprofit Men of Valor, they helped fund and develop Dogan-Gaither Flats, a Knoxville complex that opened with a ribbon cutting in September 2022. The project provides safe housing, mentorship, counseling, and job-readiness training for up to 35 men returning from prison.
From advocating at the White House to ribbons on re-entry apartments, Josh has shown that second chances need concrete foundations. His pardon wasn’t a finish line; it was fuel for the next leg of the journey to make re-entry safer, smarter, and more humane for everyone involved.
Not Just an Advocate, A Student of the System
What sets Josh apart isn’t just his story; it’s the way he’s listened. Over the past decade, he’s spent time inside correctional facilities across the country, not just speaking, but learning. He’s sat down with frontline staff, DOC directors, wardens, and governors. He didn’t come with quick fixes. He came with curiosity and a desire to build trust. That humility, combined with a deep urgency to act, gave him a rare and balanced perspective, not just of what’s broken in corrections, but what’s already working and how to scale it.
Deputy Director: A New Chapter in Reentry
Josh Smith is now stepping into federal leadership as the Deputy Director of the BOP, and with him comes a new kind of leadership. He’s not a politician. He’s not a bureaucrat. He’s a former inmate, business leader, and reform advocate. And now, a national decision-maker with both policy fluency and frontline credibility.
His approach won’t be slow or abstract. Josh believes in results, and he believes they start with staff. Correctional officers, case managers, and program staff. These are the people who carry the weight of the system, and his commitment is to make sure they’re heard, supported, and equipped.
In this new role, he’ll be focusing on reentry, strengthening the pathways that help individuals leave prison prepared, supported, and connected to purpose. He understands from personal experience that what happens in the final months of incarceration can determine the next decade of someone’s life. His aim is to make reentry a cornerstone of the BOP’s mission.
Gratitude and Legacy at FPF
Josh’s departure from the FPF board isn’t the end, it’s an expansion. His DNA will always be a part of FPF, the partnerships, the projects, and the people. It was built with his vision. As the team continues the work, his belief in supporting staff, second chances, dignity, and purpose will remain at the foundation of everything we do.
Coming Full-Circle
Josh’s appointment isn’t just historic, it’s symbolic. It shows that the system can evolve. That voices once silenced can now lead. That someone once counted out can become someone others count on.
The staff at the BOP: you have a leader who knows what it means to wear both sets of shoes. Who understands that if we’re going to build better outcomes, it starts with investing in you.
To the public: Redemption is not a theory, it’s a reality. Change is not only possible, it’s happening. And this moment is proof.
A historic shift is underway in federal corrections.
Josh Smith, once incarcerated in a federal prison, has just been appointed Deputy Director of the Bureau of Prisons (BOP). His story, from an inmate in the late ‘90s to a national leader in criminal justice reform, marks an unprecedented milestone. It is a powerful reminder that redemption is not just possible, it’s transformative. And now, lived experience will help lead one of the most complex systems in America.
Where Purpose Was Found
In the late 1990s, Josh entered the BOP system as a young man serving a federal sentence in Kentucky. He saw the system from the inside, its challenges, its blind spots, and its unrealized potential. While incarcerated, something began to shift. He found faith, discipline, and most importantly, he found a sense of purpose. For Josh, prison wasn’t just a consequence, it became a transformative experience.
When he was released in 2003, he walked out determined not to waste a second chance he had been given. He created a plan to stay out of the system. But that sense of purpose followed him. Reentry wasn’t easy, but it shaped his empathy. It helped him understand the barriers people face on the outside and planted the seed of a deeper mission.
That mission became crystal clear the first time he stepped back inside a prison, not as an inmate, but as a volunteer. In 2004, just one year after his release, Josh walked through the gates of a prison not because he had to, but because he chose to. He was reminded of where he came from. He knew he couldn’t turn back on those inside. That act set the tone for everything that followed. He’s been doing this work for over two decades, long before criminal justice reform became a trend or a talking point.
Finding his Voice in Reform
Josh’s first public stand for criminal justice reform wasn’t scripted or strategic. It was personal. He began speaking about the challenges of reentry and the need for second chances, first in small rooms, then in front of legislatures, eventually on national platforms. He believed then, and still does, that the voices of the formerly incarcerated are essential to driving meaningful change.
Master Dry: Building with Purpose
In the early 2000s, Josh founded Master Dry, a basement and foundation repair business. But to him, it was never just about concrete. It was about integrity, redemption, and leading by example. He built the company on the same values he found in prison: dignity, hard work, and belief in something bigger and better.
Master Dry’s mission was clear from day one, “To be a unique service company that radically serves its community.” Not just a slogan, but a reflection of Josh’s heart. Whether it be showing up for customers, creating opportunities for employees, or supporting local causes, the business became an extension of his belief that service and purpose go hand in hand.
Under his leadership, Master Dry grew into a multimillion-dollar company with nearly 200 employees. Then, when the time was right, he sold it, not to retire, but to free himself to chase a greater purpose.
Founding the Fourth Purpose Foundation
After his release from prison, Josh didn’t expect to one day lead a national nonprofit. But with a deep sense of purpose and gratitude for a second chance, he founded the Fourth Purpose Foundation (FPF) in 2019, a nonprofit dedicated to transforming prisons into places of purpose and personal growth. Josh believes in elevating what he calls the fourth purpose of prison: transformation.
What started as a personal calling quickly became a national movement. Under Josh’s leadership, FPF partnered with departments of corrections across the country, launching initiatives for both staff and incarcerated individuals. In 2024, we expanded that work with the launch of Prison Life Media, a national storytelling platform giving voice to staff and residents inside.
Perhaps most importantly, Josh made it a priority to support correctional staff. He understands that lasting culture change can’t happen without investing in the people doing the work every day. FPF has funded specialized training programs and leadership development for officers, administrators, and frontline teams. Josh has also developed strong relationships with some of the most respected correctional leaders in the country, including Commissioner Ricky Dixon (FL), Director Bryan Collier (TX, also a member of the FPF board), Former Director Anne Precythe (MO), and others. Leaders who are challenging the status quo and reimagining corrections from the inside out.
To highlight these efforts, Josh launched Disruptors, a national docu-series produced in partnership with forward-thinking corrections departments. The series profiles leaders who are prioritizing staff wellness, practical leadership, innovative programs for incarcerated individuals, and culture change. Offering a hopeful and solutions-driven view of corrections in America.
While Josh never set out to work in corrections, the work found him. He’s spent the last several years researching, listening, and building alongside those in the field to help corrections become a place where both staff and residents can thrive with purpose.
A Presidential Pardon & Housing Reform
In January 2021, Josh’s decades-long commitment to criminal-justice reform was formally recognized when President Trump granted him a full pardon, backed by Tennessee Governor Bill Lee, who had already asked Josh to serve on the state’s Criminal Justice Reinvestment Task Force.
The pardon lifted many of the civil barriers that trail a felony record, but not before Josh had felt their sting, “You know I was never able to rent an apartment even when I had wealth. I could buy an apartment complex but I couldn’t rent an apartment in one,” he said. That stark reality drove him deeper into re-entry work, especially housing.
Shortly after the pardon, Josh and the Fourth Purpose Foundation doubled down on practical solutions. Partnering with the faith-based nonprofit Men of Valor, they helped fund and develop Dogan-Gaither Flats, a Knoxville complex that opened with a ribbon cutting in September 2022. The project provides safe housing, mentorship, counseling, and job-readiness training for up to 35 men returning from prison.
From advocating at the White House to ribbons on re-entry apartments, Josh has shown that second chances need concrete foundations. His pardon wasn’t a finish line; it was fuel for the next leg of the journey to make re-entry safer, smarter, and more humane for everyone involved.
Not Just an Advocate, A Student of the System
What sets Josh apart isn’t just his story; it’s the way he’s listened. Over the past decade, he’s spent time inside correctional facilities across the country, not just speaking, but learning. He’s sat down with frontline staff, DOC directors, wardens, and governors. He didn’t come with quick fixes. He came with curiosity and a desire to build trust. That humility, combined with a deep urgency to act, gave him a rare and balanced perspective, not just of what’s broken in corrections, but what’s already working and how to scale it.
Deputy Director: A New Chapter in Reentry
Josh Smith is now stepping into federal leadership as the Deputy Director of the BOP, and with him comes a new kind of leadership. He’s not a politician. He’s not a bureaucrat. He’s a former inmate, business leader, and reform advocate. And now, a national decision-maker with both policy fluency and frontline credibility.
His approach won’t be slow or abstract. Josh believes in results, and he believes they start with staff. Correctional officers, case managers, and program staff. These are the people who carry the weight of the system, and his commitment is to make sure they’re heard, supported, and equipped.
In this new role, he’ll be focusing on reentry, strengthening the pathways that help individuals leave prison prepared, supported, and connected to purpose. He understands from personal experience that what happens in the final months of incarceration can determine the next decade of someone’s life. His aim is to make reentry a cornerstone of the BOP’s mission.
Gratitude and Legacy at FPF
Josh’s departure from the FPF board isn’t the end, it’s an expansion. His DNA will always be a part of FPF, the partnerships, the projects, and the people. It was built with his vision. As the team continues the work, his belief in supporting staff, second chances, dignity, and purpose will remain at the foundation of everything we do.
Coming Full-Circle
Josh’s appointment isn’t just historic, it’s symbolic. It shows that the system can evolve. That voices once silenced can now lead. That someone once counted out can become someone others count on.
The staff at the BOP: you have a leader who knows what it means to wear both sets of shoes. Who understands that if we’re going to build better outcomes, it starts with investing in you.
To the public: Redemption is not a theory, it’s a reality. Change is not only possible, it’s happening. And this moment is proof.
