WASHINGTON, D.C. -- A local graduate has nabbed a top spot in the U.S. Justice Department.

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Colette Peters has been selected as the new Director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons at the Department of Justice.

Peters earned her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the College of St. Benedict in 1993 and a master’s degree in criminal justice from the Graduate School of Public Affairs at the University of Colorado in Denver before starting a more than 30-year career in public safety.

Attorney general Merrick Garland is confident in the pick.

The Justice Department’s mission to uphold the rule of law, keep our country safe, and protect civil rights depends on an effective, safe, and humane correctional system. Director Peters is uniquely qualified to lead BOP in its efforts to ensure the rehabilitation, health, and safety of incarcerated individuals, a safe and secure work environment for correctional staff, and transparency and accountability across federal detention facilities

She’ll oversee the 150,000 offenders in 122 federal prisons and 178 community-based facilities worldwide.

Peters will assume the role on August 2nd.

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