Federal Prison Reforms We Are Advocating For!
We’re pushing for reforms. Join us!
- More chances for home confinement, work release, and halfway houses—so people spend less time in cells and more time working, studying, and supporting family.
- Expand First Step Act credits to everyone. No carveouts, no loopholes.
- Build systems that let people create records of what they’re doing inside—education, jobs, service.
- Show policymakers that when people put in the work, they should get a real shot at moving out earlier.
Every conversation Michael has in Washington comes back to this: if you can’t prove what you’re doing, it doesn’t exist.
Why Document Your Journey In Federal Prison?
Some people start building a record before they surrender, others wait until they’re inside. Either way, the goal is to stack tangible proof:
- A biography that explains who you are, not just what the indictment says.
- A journal where you track what you’re doing each day. Not feelings—entries that show classes taken, books read, skills learned.
- Book reports that demonstrate you’re not just reading to kill time—you’re extracting lessons.
- A release plan that lays out where you’ll live, how you’ll work, how you’ll pay restitution.
- Testimonials from mentors, family, teachers—outside validation that backs you up.
That’s what a Profile on PrisonProfessors.org does. It memorializes the work. Without it, staff see you as just another name and register number.
Placement: How the Bureau Decides Where You’ll Serve
Your PSR dictates almost everything—security level, custody rating, medical and mental health care levels. Get it wrong, and you end up in a place you don’t belong.
Example: I’ve seen people with routine medical conditions misclassified, bumped into higher facilities. I’ve also seen mistakes in criminal history that added points and blocked camp placement.
Terms you’ll hear:
- Central File: Where staff keep everything on you—sentencing docs, progress, incident reports.
Practical point: Fix your PSR before sentencing. Don’t walk into federal prison with errors that will follow you for years.
Self-Surrender To Federal Prison: What Happens on Day One
Walk in light.
- Don’t bring valuables over $100.
- $300 cash or money order is enough to set up your account.
- One month of meds.
Terms you’ll hear immediately:
- Call-out sheet: Daily list of where you’re supposed to be. Miss it, you’ll get a shot (disciplinary write-up).
- Count: Staff stop all movement and check numbers—five times a day.
- Cop-out: The form you use to ask for anything.
Advice: first day is about watching and listening. Don’t complain about work assignments, bunk assignments, or food. Just adjust.
Profile angle: Your first journal entries can describe how you handled intake. That’s credibility later.
Transfers in Federal Prison: What They Really Mean
Transfers wipe the slate. New bed, new job, new staff. Reasons: lower security, medical, program needs, or discipline.
Terms:
- Shakedown: Search of your area or body, common before transfers.
- Recall: Staff pull people back early from jobs or classes.
Advice: If you want a transfer closer to home, build a solid record for the first 18 months and show family/community support. Otherwise, don’t expect it.
Furloughs: Short Releases
Funerals, family emergencies, medical trips. Rare. Require community custody and perfect conduct.
Advice: If you get one, treat it like the most serious test of your sentence. Return on time. No excuses.
Advocacy: We’re pushing to make furloughs a normal step toward release, not a rare exception.
FRP (Financial Responsibility Program)
If you owe restitution or fines, you’ll be expected to pay. On paper, it’s voluntary. In practice, if you don’t pay, you lose privileges.
Advice: Even $25 per quarter is enough to show good faith. Keep receipts—staff lose paperwork.
Profile angle: Upload payment history into your Journal. Judges and staff care more when they can see proof.
Administrative Remedies: The Appeal System
If you get a shot, here’s the chain:
- Cop-out to try and resolve it informally.
- BP-9 to the Warden.
- BP-10 to the Region.
- BP-11 to Central Office.
Terms:
- DHO: Handles serious cases—can take good time.
- UDC: Handles minor cases.
- SHU: Segregated housing (the hole).
Advice: Don’t miss deadlines. Keep copies. Don’t flood the system with complaints or staff will tag you as a problem.
Mail and Email In Federal Prison
TRULINCS for email (text only, monitored, expensive).
TRUFONE for phones (limited minutes, monitored).
Mail is opened unless it’s legal mail marked properly.
Advice: Bring a one-page contact list. Budget for communication. Assume every email or call is reviewed.
Profile angle: Save supportive letters and family notes in your Testimonials section.
Attorneys In Federal Prison
You can meet with your attorney during normal visiting hours. Private rooms are sometimes available. Paralegals or investigators need clearance.
Advice: Stay in touch regularly. Don’t wait until there’s a crisis. Keep a record of meetings in your Profile.
Let’s Wrap It Up!
Prison has its own language—call-outs, counts, shots, cop-outs, furloughs, shakedowns, lockdowns. You’ll pick it up fast.
But the bigger question is: what are you doing with your 1,000 minutes a day?
That’s why we built Profiles at PrisonProfessors.org, to help you influence cynical stakeholders.
Never forget, if you don’t document it, it didn’t happen.
Thank you.
Justin Paperny
