KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — NBC News is reporting that Joshua Smith, a Tennessee businessman who was formerly incarcerated in federal prison for drug trafficking charges, is now set to become the federal Bureau of Prisons' deputy director. The role is second in command in the bureau.

A senior official told NBC News that the BOP has never had someone formerly incarcerated work as an employee at any level.

Before he was named the deputy director, Smith was known for his business, the Fourth Purpose , which focuses on inmate rehabilitation and advocacy. He spent five years behind bars in Kentucky for his involvement in drug trafficking in the late 1990s. After his release in 2003, he founded a multi-million dollar company , which he later sold.

Smith dedicated the years after his release from priso

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