Flag of the Day #6 – Federal Bureau of Prisons
The flag of the Federal Bureau of Prisons doesn’t have much going for it, but I guess that’s kinda the point.
The Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) is supposed to be boring. There should be nothing flashy or headline grabbing connected with an agency charged with running facilities ranging from minimum-security “country club” facilities like Danbury Ct, to the country’s last remaining supermax prison, ADX Florence in Florence, Colorado. Like many agencies, It is simply the seal on a solid field.
If you are looking for an interesting flag among federal agencies, it is hard to beat the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency’s flag. Designed in 1799 by Treasury Secretary Oliver Wolcott, it leaves no doubt as to where you need to stop and pay your customs fees and import duties. It was the first flag designed specifically for an agency of the federal government.
Federal Bureau of Prisons
U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency (1799 version)
Well, Jason, you sent me down the rabbit hole looking for a translation of the DOJ’s Latin motto “Qui Pro Domina Justitia Sequiter.” Google Translate came up with “Who Follow After Justice for the Lady,” which doesn’t make a lot of sense.
The DOJ website’s long-winded discussion admits no one really knows who originally devised the seal, but that the motto probably comes from British legal proceedings conducted on behalf of Queen Elizabeth I (“the Lady”), and then Americanizes the translation to “Who Prosecutes on Behalf of Justice” (or “the Lady Justice”).
That Customs flag could be pretty chilling if you were undocumented, I’d think, evoking prison bars as it does.