Stirling served as a member of the Council’s Task Force on Long Sentences.
Bryan Stirling was appointed as the United States Attorney for the District of South Carolina by U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi. Stirling took the oath of office before U.S. Circuit Court Judge Julius Richardson on April 28, 2025. As U.S. Attorney, Stirling is responsible for overseeing federal criminal prosecutions and civil litigation involving the United States in the District of South Carolina.
Stirling most recently served as director of the South Carolina Department of Corrections for more than a decade, where he has been the longest serving prison director in the country. He led a department of more than 4,000 employees who cared for 16,500 inmates in 21 prisons. Stirling worked to create a systemic reentry and training focus for all custody levels, which has led South Carolina to have the lowest recidivism rate in the country since 2021.
Prior to joining the correctional system, Stirling served as Deputy Attorney General for nearly six years. He served Governor Nikki Haley as her Chief of Staff from October 2012 to September 2013, during which he oversaw management of the governor’s cabinet and the Office of Executive Policy and Programs. Stirling graduated from the University of South Carolina in 1991 and USC’s School of Law in 1996.
