College Assistant Professor
Degrees/Schools
M.A., Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Department of Criminology
Degree Awarded: May 2009
B.A., Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Department of Criminology
Degree Awarded: May 2008
Email:garlands@nmsu.edu
Areas of Interest
Corrections, Policing, Wrongful Convictions, Capital Punishment, Bill of Rights, Constitutional Law, Routine Activities Theory.
Biography
Scott Garland embarked on his professional journey with the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) in 2009 as a Correctional Officer at the United States Penitentiary (USP) Hazelton, a high-security facility located in Bruceton Mills, West Virginia. His career progression within the BOP reflects a steady assumption of increased responsibility, beginning with his promotion to Senior Officer at USP Hazelton in September 2010. In February 2012, he transitioned into the role of Case Manager, and in December 2016, he was selected to serve as Case Management Coordinator at the Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) La Tuna in Anthony, Texas.
In March 2020, Mr. Garland was selected to serve as the National Victim Witness Program Coordinator at the BOP Central Office in Washington, D.C. In this critical leadership role, he operationalized the Bureau’s victim witness program and served as the agency’s primary liaison with the federal judiciary, United States Attorneys’ Offices, the U.S. Parole Commission, and U.S. Probation. His responsibilities included the development and coordination of national training initiatives and the implementation of enhancements to victim and witness notification systems.
In December 2021, Mr. Garland was appointed Associate Warden at the U.S. Medical Center for Federal Prisoners in Springfield, Missouri, and subsequently served as Associate Warden at USP McCreary in Pine Knot, Kentucky. In January 2026, Mr. Garland was appointed Warden of the Federal Correctional Institution (FCI 1) Butner, located outside of Raleigh, North Carolina, where he now oversees institutional operations at one of the Bureau’s most complex correctional facilities.
His professional experience spans all security levels within the BOP, including both male and female institutions. Prior to his federal service, he worked as a Deputy Sheriff with the Blair County Sheriff’s Office in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania.
Mr. Garland brings more than fifteen years of law enforcement and correctional leadership experience to the classroom. He is an active member of several professional organizations, including the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, the American Society of Criminology, and the American Correctional Association. His commitment to correctional excellence was recognized in January 2018 when he received the Federal Bureau of Prisons Assistant Director’s Award for Correctional Programs for his leadership in overseeing and implementing a specialized immigration and U.S. Marshals Service holdover program at FCI La Tuna.
In addition to his operational leadership, Mr. Garland serves as a College Assistant Professor at New Mexico State University (NMSU) Las Cruces and as an Adjunct Instructor at Southeast New Mexico College–Carlsbad and Southern New Hampshire University.
