White Collar Advice Blog
BOP Memo June 2025: Why More People Are Going Directly to Home Confinement—and How the Release Plan Tips the Scale
The June 2025 Bureau of Prisons memo makes one thing clear: if you qualify under the First Step Act (FSA) and/or the
Dignity Intact: What Michael Santos Taught Me About the Long Game
Someone new to our community asked me,“I got six years. How long will I serve?”“I have no idea”, I told him.“I can make
First Step Act Home Confinement Update: How the Conditional Placement Date Accelerates Your Referral—If You’re Ready
The June 2025 BOP memo introduces a key concept that affects release timing: the Conditional Placement Date (CPD). This is not a
Bureau of Prisons New Home Confinement Directive: Why Your Release Plan Now Carries More Weight Than a Job Offer
The June 2025 BOP memo changes how home confinement referrals work. One of the clearest shifts is this: prior employment is no
June 17 BOP Memo: What It Means for Early Release Under the First Step Act
Michael Santos Introduces the BOP Directive White Collar Advice: “Michael, as you know, the Bureau of Prisons issued another directive on June
Why Federal Judges Ignore Apologies—and What Defendants Should Do Instead
When I wrote my judge a letter from federal prison, I didn’t write to say I was sorry. I wrote to show
The White Collar Advice blog helps people under investigation or facing federal sentencing understand the system, avoid mistakes that lead to longer sentences or tougher prison placements, and prepare for prison and reentry.
People under federal investigation, facing sentencing, or preparing for prison who want to build a documented record that shows they are different from the government’s one-sided version of events. Family members who want to understand the process and help a loved one prepare should read it too.
Yes. The blog is based on the combined experience of our team at White Collar Advice, including my time in the system, Michael Santos’s 26 years in federal prison, and the work we’ve done with thousands of people going through investigations, sentencing, and reentry. Everything comes from what we’ve seen and documented over many years.
These blogs teach you how to create assets that do not currently exist to influence cynical stakeholders, like a Federal Judge or Probation Officer.