Table of Contents
U.S. Department of Justice
Federal Bureau of Prisons
Program Statement
OPI: DIR
NUMBER: 1120.18
DATE: 3/16/99
SUBJECT: Delegating Authority in the Absence of the Chief Executive Officer
PURPOSE AND SCOPE
To establish continuity of authority in the absence of any of the following:
- Director
- Assistant Director
- Regional Director
- Warden
- Director of a Staff Training Center
SUMMARY OF CHANGES
The Clinical Director has been removed from the delegation list and the Directives Affected section has been updated. Some sentences have been modified to reflect clear writing formats.
PROGRAM OBJECTIVE
The expected result of this program is:
In the absence of any Chief Executive Officer, the official authority of that position will be clearly delegated in writing.
DIRECTIVE RESCINDED
PS 1120.17 Delegations of Authority (8/5/96)
STANDARDS REFERENCED
None.
DELEGATIONS AND PROCEDURES
All delegations must be in writing and include effective dates. At the institution level, copies of delegations of authority must be provided to the Regional Director.
Designees have full and direct authority of the position delegated. Decisions to delegate authority must take into account the designee’s experience and abilities.
Only under unusual circumstances shall authority be delegated to other persons or redelegated further by an employee in an acting capacity, and ordinarily the redesignation will be the next person in the chain-of-command.
Central Office
Director
When the Director is absent, an Assistant Director shall be designated Acting Director. If no Assistant Director is available, the Director shall designate another employee as Acting Director.
Assistant Director
When an Assistant Director is absent, the Deputy Assistant Director of the appropriate Division shall be designated Acting Assistant Director. In the absence of a Deputy Assistant Director, the Assistant Director shall designate another employee as Acting Assistant Director.
Regional Director
When a Regional Director is absent, the Deputy Regional Director shall be designated Acting Regional Director. In the absence of a Deputy Regional Director, the Regional Director shall designate a Regional Administrator, Warden, or other employee as Acting Regional Director.
Wardens
In most situations, Wardens request and receive prior regional approval before taking leave. When the Warden is absent, an Associate Warden, or Superintendent of Industries, shall be designated as Acting Warden. If those individuals are absent, the Warden may designate a Department Head or other employee as Acting Warden.
Directors of Staff Training Centers
When the Directors of the Management and Specialty Training Center or the Staff Training Academy are absent, that Director shall designate an employee of that facility as Acting Director.
/s/
Kathleen Hawk Sawyer, Director
Published Feb 8, 2025 by Christopher Zoukis, JD, MBA | Last Updated by Christopher Zoukis, JD, MBA on Feb 26, 2025 at 11:03 am